Eating Local: 9 Ways with Winter Greens

We have had quite an unusual year here in Texas. We made it through a particularly hot and dry summer that lead right into a particularly cold and wet winter. Yet as we begin to transition back into spring, those of us who try to eat locally are in the same situation that we were in at this time last year: we’re sick of winter greens.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love winter greens. In fact, back in the midst of the scorching September heat, I was fiending for them. I couldn’t wait to find lacinato kale or collards in my CSA box. But now that I have eaten greens almost every night of the week for the last four or five months, all I can think about are tomatoes, sweet corn, basil and summer squash. The very idea of cooking another turnip makes me feel a little woozy. But we haven’t quite seen the end of winter produce, so we really should try to enjoy our greens before it gets too hot for them to grow.

Here are some of my favorite meals that feature winter greens. These are dishes that I make over and over again, with some variations. They're familiar to me, but perhaps a few will be new to you. And maybe you can help me out by sharing a few of your own ideas in the comments. How do you like to eat your greens?

TOPPED WITH AN EGG

Egg-Topped Creamy Polenta with Greens
Sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Add washed, stemmed and roughly chopped greens. Cook until tender, adding liquid if needed and salt to taste. Meanwhile, cook polenta with salt, black pepper and a few cloves of garlic that have been smashed, using milk as half of the required liquid. Whisk in a little herbed cream cheese or goat cheese at the end and adjust seasonings. Serve warm polenta in a bowl topped with cooked greens, a fried or poached egg and some grated parmesan cheese.
Variation: omit the polenta and serve the greens over toasted, crusty, rustic bread.

Egg-Topped Fried Rice with Greens
Slice a few cloves of garlic thinly. Pour about 1/4 inch of olive oil into a small skillet over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the garlic slices and fry until golden brown and crisp. Remove the garlic from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain over paper towels or a paper grocery bag, reserving the oil. In a large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of the reserved garlic oil. Sauté chopped onion. Add washed, stemmed and roughly chopped greens. Cook until tender, adding liquid if needed and salt to taste. Add cold, day-old white or brown rice to the skillet, adding more garlic oil if necessary. Fry the rice, stirring until heated and well combined with the greens and onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls topped with the crispy fried garlic slices, sliced green onion, a fried egg and a drizzle each of sesame oil and soy sauce.

WITH PASTA

Greens with Pasta and Cheese
Sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Add washed, stemmed and roughly chopped greens. Cook until tender, adding liquid if needed. Meanwhile, cook 1 lb of pasta. Reserve some pasta water before draining. Toss cooked pasta with some herbed cream cheese or goat cheese and greens. Top with grated parmesan cheese and lots of black pepper.
Variation: Omit the cheese. Add harissa, olive oil, good quality chopped olives, toasted pine nuts and lemon zest.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Greens
Sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Add washed, stemmed and roughly chopped greens. Cook until tender, adding liquid if needed. Meanwhile, cook 1 lb of pasta. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for a minute. Whisk in about two cups of milk and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk to melt. Toss with pasta and greens and top with more shredded cheese. Pour into a casserole dish and broil until the top is golden brown.

 WITH POTATOES

Potato Salad with Greens
Quarter a few pounds of small yukon gold potatoes so that the pieces are approximately equal in size. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven until the potatoes are soft in the middle and golden and crispy on the outside. Meanwhile sauté a bunch of washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped greens with minced garlic and olive oil until tender. In a blender combine a generous blob of tahini, the juice of a large lemon, a clove of garlic, a couple tablespoons of hot water and salt to taste. Just before serving, toss the potatoes and greens with enough tahini dressing to coat.
Optional addition: crispy crumbled bacon

Spanish Tortilla with Greens
In a nonstick skillet, sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Add washed, stemmed and roughly chopped greens. Cook until tender, adding liquid if needed and salt to taste. Set aside. In the same skillet, heat generous amount of olive oil. Add a sliced boiled potato and sauté until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown. Add cooked greens and saute until heated through. Add four or five eggs that have been beaten with salt and pepper and a generous splash of milk or water. Cook on low heat until the eggs are nearly cooked. Release the tortilla from the pan with a spatula and slide it onto a plate. Flip it over back into the skillet and cook a few more minutes on the other side. Cut into wedges and serve hot or cold with aioli if you like.
Optional addition: cooked, sliced Spanish chorizo

Colcannon
Wash and quarter some potatoes. Boil in salted water with a few cloves of garlic until just tender. Add washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped greens and continue to boil until greens are tender. Drain and mash the potatoes, garlic and greens together. Add warm butter and cream or milk, sliced green onions, grated parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.
Variations: Spread this into a casserole dish, top with additional cheese and broil. Or form the potatoes into large cakes, coat with bread crumbs and pan fry in a nonstick skillet with olive oil.

WITH BEANS

Greens and Beans Soup—Caldo Gallego
Rinse 1 lb of dry white beans. Add them to a large pot with two smoked ham hocks and water to cover. Simmer until the beans are cooked. Remove ham hocks, pull the meat off the bones and chop it into small pieces. Discard the bones and fat, adding the meat back to the pot. Add a diced onion, a few diced potatoes or turnips simmer 20 minutes. Add washed stemmed and roughly chopped greens and simmer another 20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of good olive oil.
Variations: leave out the potatoes or turnips and add cooked pasta.
Note: You can use canned beans if you prefer. In this case, simmer the ham hocks for an hour. Add the beans at the end along with the raw greens.
 
Greens and Beans Tacos
Cook a pot of dried beans, or doctor up a can of beans with some chopped onion, garlic and your favorite seasonings. In a large skillet sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Add washed, stemmed and roughly chopped greens. Cook until tender, adding liquid if needed. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes. Assemble tacos inside of warm corn tortillas. Fill each tortilla with beans, greens and any of the following: crumbled queso fresco, chopped onion, cilantro, avocado and salsa verde. Serve with lime wedges.