RECIPE: Greens and Bulgur Gratin

From Gourmet

Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coarse bulgur

2 pounds assorted greens such as kale, collard, escarole, spinach, Swiss chard, and/or mustard greens

6 large garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)

6 ounces chilled whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella, grated coarse

For topping

1/2 cup fine fresh breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

Procedure:

1. In a heatproof bowl pour enough boiling water over bulgur to cover by 1 inch. Cover bowl with a plate to trap steam and let stand 20 minutes. Drain bulgur in a large fine sieve, pressing out excess liquid, and transfer to a bowl.

2. Keeping each variety of green separate, tear greens into bite-size pieces, discarding stems. Still keeping greens separate, wash thoroughly by dunking in a sinkful of water and transfer to a colander to drain.

3. Put coarser greens (kale or collard) in a 4 1/2- to 5-quart kettle and steam in water clinging to leaves, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add delicate greens (escarole, spinach, Swiss chard, and/or mustard) to coarse greens and steam, covered, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain greens in colander, pressing out excess liquid.

4. In a large heavy skillet cook garlic in oil over moderate heat,stirring, until softened but not golden. Stir in greens and bulgur and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmesan and remove skillet from heat.

5. Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly oil a 1 1/2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish.

6. Spread half of greens mixture in dish and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella. Spread remaining greens mixture over mozzarella and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Gratin may be prepared up to this point 8 hours ahead and chilled, covered.

Make topping


7. In a small bowl with a fork stir together breadcrumbs and oil until crumbs are evenly moistened.

8. Sprinkle topping over greens mixture and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until bubbling and top is browned lightly.

RECIPE: Bitter Greens with Sweet Onions and Tart Cheese

from The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without by Mollie Katzen

Note: I recommend a combination of kale, escarole or chard, and mustard greens to collaborate with the pungent flavor of the cheese.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups sliced onion (a sweet variety, such as Vidalia, if available)

3 large bunches fresh greens, stemmed if necessary, and coarsely chopped (about 12 cups)

Salt, to taste

Up to 1 cup feta cheese or ricotta salata, crumbled

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:

1. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onions and sauté over high heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and let the onions cook until very tender, about 10 more minutes.

2. Add the greens in batches, sprinkling very lightly with salt after each addition and turning them with tongs, bringing up the wilted ones from the bottom to the top of the pile.

3. When all the greens have wilted, stir in the cheese, and cook for just about 2 minutes longer.

4. Transfer to a platter and grind on a generous amount of black pepper. Serve hot or warm, on or next to pasta or grains, or by itself.

Submitted by Ann Tilley

Ann’s notes: This is one of our very favorite things to do with all the varieties of bitter greens we get from Chubby Bunny, plus it uses feta for those with the cheese share. Use caution salting the greens if you are using feta which can be quite salty. We have found this to be delicious using any kind of onions we have on hand including red onions.

RECIPE: Greek Country Salad

From Gourmet January 2001

Ingredients:

For dressing

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon honey

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For salad

1/2 lb escarole (preferably pale inner leaves), chopped (4 cups)*

1/4 lb tender young mustard greens, trimmed and finely chopped (2 cups)*

1/2 lb dandelion greens, tough stems discarded and leaves cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (2 cups)

2 oz baby spinach (2 cups)

1 cup watercress sprigs, trimmed

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion

Procedure:

Make dressing:
Whisk together lemon juice, salt, and honey in a large salad bowl and add oil in a slow stream, whisking until blended.

Make salad:
Add salad ingredients to dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

(* Try substituting the lettuce from our shares for the escarole, and the komatsuna for the mustard greens!)