Basic Braise of Mixed Greens

This is a basic recipe for cooking up “Braising Mix”, which is typically a mixture of things like curly kale, lacinato kale, collards, chard and sometimes I see mustard greens in the mixes as well. Many people just sauté these greens, but I prefer them cooked longer. This method softens the greens themselves, and helps add nuance of flavor and mitigates the earthiness greens have. This recipe is great to add into things like frittatas and pastas. It is good to have some in the refrigerator as it keeps well and is good to add into things. Think a mixture of greens and grains, in a grilled cheese sandwich, use as stuffing in chicken, pork chops or even salmon. I always try to get some vegetables into my breakfast, and these greens work great with scrambled eggs or tofu.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups braising mixed, packed

1 small brown onion, split through the root and peeled

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil+1 tablespoon more

2 cloves of garlic, de-germed and minced

1 cup red wine, or white wine, or what ever is left over from the night before…

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

Bring a quart of water to boil in a 2-quart chefs pan or saucepan.

Rinse the braising mix in cold water, submerging and lifting it out to leave any grit in the bottom of the bowl. Repeat.

When cleaned, transfer drained greens to the pot of boiling water. Stir until all the greens are submerged. If the greens will not remain submerged, add water to cover. Cooking the greens above the waterline could make for leathery greens. Cook covered.

Lower the heat to a simmer and let the greens cook gently for fifteen minutes to a half-hour, or until they are tender.

While the greens are cooking, slice the onion into thin half-moons and set aside.

When the greens are done, drain off all but a tablespoon or two of the water, and then transfer the greens and remaining water to a bowl.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, and when hot, add the onions. Stir to break up the slices and to coat the onion with oil.  Cook the onions until they soften up and are just beginning to turn golden.

Add the greens back into the pan and toss to mix the onions and greens together.

Make a well in the center of the greens. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant and softening. Stir the mess (this is a technical term for greens, mind you…) to evenly distribute the garlic. (I do it this way to prevent the garlic from burning and turning bitter)

Add the wine, then re-cover the pot. Cook down until most of the wine is gone. Again, make a well in the center of the greens, turn up the heat to medium-high, and add the remaining oil. Stir to amalgamate with the remaining liquid and make a “sauce”. Stir the mess around to incorporate the sauce into all the greens and season with salt and pepper if you wish. (Do not salt sooner as the salt will wilt the greens too much, and may help them turn an unappetizing khaki.)

Serve hot, or cool and reheat later.

Chef’s Notes:

I vary the wine to match the rest of the meal, or grab what ever is handy. You can add mushrooms in with the onions, use a little bacon and cook in the rendered fat, or add olives towards the end of cooking-I prefer oil cured olives for this.

SERVES 4