mustard greens

Mustard Greens


Mustard Greens

Have you ever tried mustard greens? Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, they are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant and are used frequently in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cooking. I find them less bitter than kale or collard greens, and more peppery, like arugula. Just one taste of a raw leaf and you'll know it came from a mustard plant. Cooked, they taste a lot like spinach, but with more body. My father recently discovered mustard greens at our local farmers market and they're his new love. I like them with a dash of dark sesame oil, but you could easily just cook them up with a little garlic and olive oil.

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 pound mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces
* 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth (vegetarian option)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Method

1 In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.

2 Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.


Ingredients for braised greens

* 4 slices bacon, chopped
* 3 bunches mustard greens, trimmed and chopped
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* Coarse salt
* 2 cups chicken broth
*

Directions

In a large skillet over medium high heat brown bacon and render its fat. Add chopped greens to the pan in batches and turn until they wilt, then add more greens. When all of the greens are in the pan, add vinegar and cook a minute. Season greens with sugar and salt. Add chicken broth to the pan and cover. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer greens 15 to 20 minutes then serve.


White Bean soup w/mustard greens
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces baked ham, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 19-ounce cans white
beans, rinsed and drained
2 14.5-ounce cans
reduced-sodium chicken
broth
2 cups chopped fresh
mustard greens
Salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons grated
Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic and saute 3 minutes, until soft. Add ham and cook 2 minutes. Stir in thyme and bay leaves, then add beans and broth and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves.

Add mustard greens and simmer 1 minute, until greens wilt. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Score per serving (1 1/2 cups soup, 1 tablespoon cheese): 441 calories, 12% fat (6 g; 2 g saturated), 56% carbs (62 g), 32% protein (35 g), 15 g fiber, 302 mg calcium, 9 mg iron, 1,018 mg sodium.