Braised Kale and Collard Greens

Recipe from member, Jonathan Proville.

A Brooklyn take on the classic Southern dish that you’ve always craved. You can improvise with other hearty greens.

(4 servings)
1 bunch of Collard Greens
1 bunch of Kale
4 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons Butter
Salt, Pepper

Rinse collard greens and kale and discard stems. Chop leaves roughly into small pieces. Brown butter in a deep pot over low heat until it is a deep brown but not burnt. Add greens, vinegar and stock. Cover pot with lid and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Just before serving, add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Optional: Get a smoked ham hock from your butcher and brown it on all sides in the butter before you add the rest of the ingredients. It will give the dish that smoky comfort-food feel.

Eggs in a Nest

Recipe from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver

(This recipe makes dinner for 4 but can easily be cut in half.)
2 cups uncooked brown rice
Olive oil – a few tablespoons
1 medium onion, chopped, and garlic to taste
Carrots, chopped
1⁄2 cup dried tomatoes
1 really large bunch of chard, coarsely chopped
8 eggs

Cook rice with 4 cups water in a covered pot while other ingredients are being prepared. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a wide skillet until lightly golden. Add carrots and tomatoes and saute for a few more minutes, adding just enough water to re-hydrate the tomatoes. Mix chard in with other vegetables and cover pan for a few minutes. Uncover, stir well, then use the back of a spoon to make depressions in the cooked leaves, circling the pan like numbers on a clock. Break an egg into each depression, being careful to keep yolks whole. Cover pan again and allow eggs to poach for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Swiss Chard Tacos with Caramelized Onion, Fresh Cheese and Chipotle Salsa

Recipe by Rick Bayless, from Everyday Mexican

These are awesome. That’s all I can really say....

(serves 4)
1 bunch swiss chard, collards, mustard or beet greens or spinach, about 12-oz., touch stems removed
1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large or 2 small onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 cloves garlic cloves, peeled and minced
about 1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth or water
12 corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese (feta is a nice substitute)
3/4 cup smoky chipotle salsa**

Cut the chard crosswise into 1-2 inch slices. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-heat. Add the onion and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes, until they become golden and caramelized. Add the garlic and red pepper and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the broth, greens and a pinch of salt. Cover reduce heat to low and cook until the greens are almost tender, (spinach will just take about 2 minutes, chard about 5, and heartier greens like collards, about 7-8) stirring occasionally. Remove lid and turn heat back to medium, stirring, until the mixture is nearly dry and adjust salt to taste. Meanwhile, heat a flat skillet over medium-high heat and warm the tortillas for a minute or so per side. Fill the warm tortillas with veggies and top with crumbled queso and salsa.

**You can use your favorite salsa, or make a quick, smokey chipotle salsa. Place 1-2 tomatoes, cut in half, half side down under the broiler with a few peeled cloves of garlic until slightly charred - a few minutes. Blend, tomatoes, garlic and 2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce (you’ll find these in a can) with a splash of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Chard with Golden Raisins

Recipe by Chef Jose Ramon Lopez, Cooking with Cafe Pasqual’s

*Cafe Pasqual’s is my favorite restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico

(Serves 4 as a side dish)
1/3 cup golden raisins
2/3 cup good sherry *optional
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 large bunch Swiss chard
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Mix the raisins and sherry in a bowl and let them soak for 2 hours, then drain. *This step could be omitted. Toast the pine nuts, Remove the ribs from the chard and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Coarsely chop the leaves.

In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add chard ribs and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, then add the leaves. Cover and let cook for 4 minutes (if the chard sticks or starts to brown, add a little water). Uncover, add pine nuts and raisins and cook 1 minute more. Season with salt an pepper and serve immediately.

Pasta with Sausage, Garlic and Greens

Recipe by Heather Thomason

This is our family convenience meal, we refer to it as “the pasta” and make it any night there is little time for dinner planning. It’s delicious every time! To make it without sausage just skip that step and begin with the garlic and pepper flakes.

(Makes 4 servings)
1 pound dried pasta (penne, farfalle, or campanelle all
work great)
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon hot pepper flakes (give or take depending on
your taste, I like mine spicy)
4 cloves garlic sliced (scapes would work wonderfully)
1 bunch kale, swiss chard or broccoli raab, coarse stems
removed and cut up into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
salt and pepper
fresh grated Parmesan for serving

Heat a pot of boiling water. Cook pasta to al dente and drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks - about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes, stirring until fragrant (about 1 minute more).

Add the greens and toss/stir until the color brightens and they are all wilted (about 2 minutes). Stir in the broth or water, reduce heat to low and cover. Allow to steam about 3-5 minutes more, until greens are tender. Uncover and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the pasta and distribute to bowls. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve.