Cream of the Crop Recipe Week 4: Sauteed Beet Greens and Corn

Sauteed Beet Greens and Corn

By:  Kurt Flehinger

This dish is deceptively simple but full of the fresh flavor of spring.  Early season beet greens are delicious, nothing like the tough, bitter taste of weeks old beets found in most markets. The stems are crunchy and sweet and the leaves become soft when cooked.  Finish it all off with a splash of lemon juice and it’s the essence of spring vegetables.

1 bunch beet greens and stems

1 ear of corn (or 3/4 C. defrosted frozen corn kernels) 

2 garlic scapes (or 4 cloves garlic) chopped small

Olive Oil

Salt 

Black Pepper

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1.    Cut the beats from the stems.  Save the beet roots to roast or grate in a salad.  Rinse the stems and leaves carefully, they often are covered in lots of dirt.

2.    Tear or cut the leaves from the stems.

3.    Chop the stems into small pieces.

4.    Roughly chop the leaves, rinse again and put aside.  Do not dry the leaves as the water on them helps in the cooking.

5.    Slice the corn from the cob.

6.    Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in large frying pan over medium high heat.

7.    Add beat stems, corn and garlic scapes and add pinch of salt and black pepper.  Sauté for 5 minutes until softened and corn just begins to caramelize.

8.    Add chopped leaves and 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper and stir to lift up any caramelized garlic or corn.  Sauté 3-5 minutes until leaves are tender.  

9.    Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.

Note:  If you are serving this along side a pasta dish, adding a splash of the starchy pasta water after the leaves are tender makes the dish extra creamy. 

About Kurt, Jami, Jax and Joelle:

     Kurt and Jami pretty much raised their two kids in their Upper West Side kitchen. On holidays and ordinary weekdays, Jax (a college junior) and Joelle (who is studying public health) are cooking up something, from sautéed kale with garlic and olive oil to homemade pizza to BBQ tacos.