"Braisin in the grass"

I know, I know. The references to songs from the 60s and 70s can get a bit wearisome can't it? Well, get over it. They're cute, admit it.
Yesterday, I wrote on braising chicken. I hope some of you ran out and got the ingredients and made the dish immediately, but I haven't gotten any cards and letters, so I guess not. Oh well. Here's another one, this time using vegetables.
We ALL know that we are supposed to eat more leafy greens. What always irks me about those "public service" announcements is that they simply assume that you know how to cook the things you're supposed to eat more of. AND, you're supposd to know how to shop for them. I will tell you right here: if you buy leafy greens that aren't good, or if they are cooked poorly, you will never eat them again. Let's face it, these are not "convenience foods." A bunch of leafy greens takes up a LOT of space when you're trying to carry them home. One bunch of leafy greens, however big the bunch is going to be, is not going to cook to much of anything. The amount of water they lose is enormous. Finally, for many of them, you have to forget all that you learned about quick cooking vegetables and cook them for a relatively long time. You get NONE of this in all of the official posts about how good they are for you. Well, Annalena is here to help. She really is. Trust her.

First, toss out everything that you've read about portion size with leafy greens. Annalena's rule is that one bunch serves one generously, or two with small portions. If you love your veggies, you have to plan big with these. So, bite the bullet and bring a very large bag with you to shop. And since we're talking about leafy greens generally here, Annalena has a tip about buying them. If you are worried about spending too much money, think beet greens.
Why? Well, first of all, if you shop at your farmers market, they come with the beets. There may be someone asking you if you want the tops off. Don't do that. Second, since most people DO, and just take the beetroot home, that vendor probably has a huge crate of beet greens under the table. If you just ask "do you have any greens I can take from you?" you will probably wind up with as much as you want.. for free. I know this for a fact. I've done it, and I've watched people do it. Just DON'T go to the vendor, buy nothing and ask for free stuff. You will be ridiculed in public.
So, whatever greens you buy, it's time to cook them in a way that someone has referred to as "Italian style." It is somewhat of a myth that Italians cook their vegetables quickly, and leave them crisp. Nope. Italians have learned that most vegetables need time to cook, to bring out their flavor. They will sacrifice a bit of green color for something tasty. Sometimes, the sacrifice of color is rather extreme. Beet greens, when you cook them this way, are positively drab when you're done. Somewhere between brown and dark green. Close your eyes and taste them if you're that repelled by the color.

Now, to cook them. You will have to get rid of the big stems at the end of any of the greens you may buy, but for a slow cook like this, you don't have to worry about getting the leafy part off of the stemmy part. You'll use it all. Get the biggest pot you have, and fill it about 1/3 to 1/2 way full of water, with a good spoon of salt in it. When it comes to a boil, start adding the greens. You'll have a large volume, even if you're cooking just for two, but you don't have to add them all at once. Let the first bunch cook down, and then add the rest, and keep it up, until you've cooked the stuff down. This step, you do quickly. It will probably take five minutes or so to do three bunches.

Drain them, and let them sit to cool down a bit, while you chop up onions and garlic. I used a big bunch of spring onions, and a head of green garlic. I think these are essential, but as with the chicken braise, if what you have is head garlic, use that, and use a lot. This time, though, peel the garlic cloves, although I wouldn't bother chopping them.

The greens will be a little cooler, but not much, so be careful of your hands. Put them back in the pot you cooked them in, the first time, with the onions and garlic, all stirred together. Add about 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and half as much water. Put a tight cover on the pot, put the heat down as low as you can, and let the mix cook for fifteen minutes, or even longer.

After fifteen minutes, taste them. If you feel like they are tender enough, then you're done. If not, let them cook longer. When this is all done, if you like - and it is far from required - add a teaspoon or two of vinegar.

This type of cooking actually releases more nutrients than it removes. It is true that whatever Vitamin C there was will be gone. So eat some srawberries, nature's way of saying "no more oranges, but you need your vitamins", but other minerals and vitamins will be released.

And as I say, you'll need about a bunch of greens per person. When I cooked the veggies this way, there were three of us. I used three bunches of beet greens, while I was baking the roots in the oven to use for salad that night.

I think you'll come back to this one. It's a good simple recipe, and the greens will go with everything. Or just use them on their own, as a pasta sauce. Enjoy!