roasting greens

[TerriS]

At the farmer's market this weeekend I picked up some gorgeous greens - Russian kale, turnip greens, mustard greens - with the idea of roasting them as a side dish. Or something as a side dish. But now I'm a little nervous about trying it. Any suggestions to make them their tastiest?

[luckylori]

If you want to roast them, I'd try putting some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper...maybe a bit of crushed red pepper.
Or you could sautee them. Or do like the southerners do, and boil 'em up with a hamhock (smoked turkey wings or legs work also).

[lorilei]

I read about roasting greens somewhere -- spritz olive oil on your greens and then roast in the oven for about 15 minutes at about 350º

On the other hand, I generally always steam or saute mine. I use a tiny bit of olive oil to start them off, toss in the greens and a handful of garlic, and then (when that is well on its way) I spritz the whole mix with a bit of water and cover it for 5 minutes or so.

If you're using more than one type of green, you'll want to be careful to add the more "firm" greens first. They'll take longer to cook. Some greens, like beet greens and spinach are very tender and only take moments in a saute pan to get sufficiently wilty.

[Meekiecheese]

I saute kale in olive oil/butter, garlic and various Mrs. Dash (Garlic, Table Blend, Spicy), Liquid Smoke, lemon/lime juice and serve. I also like kale in my vegetable soups. Also good with Edamame (soy beans).

For Southern-style Greens:

Large stock pot or Dutch oven
Smoked meat (ham hocks, turkey wings/legs)
Liquid Smoke
Onions and Garlic (Optional)
Seasonsings to taste
Vinegar (to taste, if at all)
Water

Thouroughly clean greens, de-stem, coarsely chop and set aside. Rinse smoked meat, place in pot, fill with enough water to cover meat with 2-3 inches of water. Let meat boil on low-med heat on top of stove for 1 hour or more until meat is tender and falling off of the bone and water has thickened and darkened. Add greens and other ingredients and cook until tender. Enjoy!

[lindrusso]

If you try roasting them, please let us know how they come out!

I had spinach at a restaurant once and it was fantastic. It had almost a smoky flavor to it, as if they had grilled it. I wonder if maybe they roasted it?

Mmmmmm.....unfortuantely I don't have greens all that often as I'm the only one in my family who enjoys them. :(

Alysha

[TerriS]

Well, they weren't exactly a hit. For possibly the second time ever DH did not like something I made. I wasn't happy with them either.

I mixed together some olive oil and balsamic and a little honey and dabbed/brushed it on the greens with a brush in an attempt to give a sprinkling or spritzing effect. I lined a cookie sheet with foil, sprayed it with Pam, put the greens on it (tossing them about a bit) and put it in a 350 oven for 15 minutes. They wilted, but some got all dried out and crispy at the edges. And maybe it was the greens I used, but they were tough - like hard to cut. Not really an enjoyable experience. I think I'll stick to sauteed spinach or using greens in stews and stirfries.

[lorilei]

Hmm. Sorry to hear that Terry. I wonder if those greens could've used a blanching first.

Might have to try this myself. But must first decide if it's worth the trouble.

Thanks again for the review!!

[sherri]

Mollie Katzen has a recipe in Vegetable Heaven for Kale "Chips" I have made it in the past and it is delicious. You simply roast the cut up kale. Unfortunately I don't have the recipe with me and cannot remember. Maybe kale works better because it is not a "soft" green??

[shel]

Enjoy you all so much.:D :D :D :D