One demand has been consistent as long as I can remember. A lot of folks enjoy quickly sautéed greens and request them often. Let's start with simple greens sautéed with chopped garlic and pepper flakes – sounds familiar and when I see it on a menu I often find myself ordering it. Cooking your own greens at home is no big mystery, all that you need is a large enough cooking vessel, measuring approximately 10-inches in width, and patience to cook the greens in several batches so not to steam them.
A few tricks
Sautéing
What does it mean to sauté? A method of cooking in a very hot skillet or pot with little oil. The meaning of the French word sauter means jumping. It describes the constant motion of the food in the skillet, which is done by shaking the pan or by stirring.
The choice of oil to sauté greens can make all the difference. I recommend starting a sauté with heat stable oil such as grape seed or canola oil. Even if you will read in many recipes to sauté with extra virgin oils, such as olive and coconut, I recommend using them only as finishing oil - just before eating. Such oils are not heat stable and break down at high heat. In addition, they lose their healthy properties and flavor and frankly it becomes a waste of money to use extra virgin olive oils from the beginning of the sautéing process.
Spice it up
In terms of spicing the greens, I like to keep the process pretty basic; a pinch of pepper flakes, sea salt, and perhaps some black pepper from the mill are sufficient to highlight the greens’ flavor.
Adding broth
When sautéing tough greens such as broccoli rabe or kale, you may have to add a liquid such as white wine or vegetable broth. If that is not available, you can use a few tablespoons of water. In my opinion protein stock such as chicken or beef tends to overtake the subtle flavor of greens hence I recommend to steer away from using them.
Flavor balance
If your sautéed greens dish needs to be more center stage, consider tossing into the mix some chopped, rich sausage. Good picks include chopped Italian-style pork sausage or chorizo, which tends to have a welcome spiciness. Bitter greens such as dandelion and broccoli rabe complement that sausage flavor and are a balanced palate match – it mellows the natural bitterness of those greens.
Add some color
Add color vibrancy to your greens with thinly shaved red cabbage, shredded carrots or chopped ginger.
Add a sweet note
Some greens require a little more in the flavor department so adding a sweet note can be a joyously pleasant finishing touch, e.g., bok chop with raisins and finished with a touch of tamari or soy sauce.
For finishing touches
Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds or toasted nuts – this will add texture and richness.
I love to add a tad of acidity in the form of red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, white wine or lemon juice. This added acidity will elevate the flavor profile of your greens in general.
And lastly, add a sprinkle of sea salt just before serving. If you add soy or tamari sauce this step can be omitted.
Basic Sautéed Greens
(recipe makes approximately 4 four side-sized portions)
2 tablespoon heat proof oil such as grape seed and canola
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon pepper flakes
1 ½ lb greens, cleaned, such as kale, mustard greens, collard, bok choy, broccoli rabe
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Special equipment:
10-inch cooking vessel – skillet, pot
- Heat a cooking vessel on high heat setting.
- Add oil, garlic and pepper flakes, stir with a wooden spoon and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add greens and cook for 2 minutes, turn vegetables with a tong and cook for 4 minutes longer. At this point check the greens for softness. They should be soft but still have texture.
- Add soy/tamari sauce and vinegar
