Mustard Greens

Share |

Mustard Greens

Southern Style Greens | Asian Chicken Soup w/ Greens

Storage

Store bunched greens in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Freezing

Blanch pre-washed (and chopped, if desired) greens in boiling water for 1 minute. Plunge into an ice water bath to cool. Drain and wring out as much water as possible. Form into convenient serving-size balls. Wrap balls in plastic wrap and freeze in quart or gallon-size freezer bags.

Washing Greens

Fill a large bowl or dishpan with cold water. Add greens and swirl around vigorously. All the dirt and sand will sink to the bottom. Lift greens out of basin and into a salad spinner or colander. Spin greens to dry or drain as best you can and dry on towels.

Recipes

Southern Style Greens

There are infinite variations to this dish. Below are the basic principles; feel free to interpret the recipe as you like. Greens provide an earthy pungency that counteracts the sweetness of other southern dishes. Serve alongside southern barbeque or fried chicken, with roasted sweet potatoes or sweet potato pie for dessert.

3 bunches Mustards, Collards, Kale, Broccoli Rabe or Turnip Greens (about 2 lbs)
6 slices bacon (or equivalent salt pork, ham hock, or smoked turkey wings)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic (optional)
Salt & Pepper

Wash the greens thoroughly in cold water. Remove any tough stems and roughly chop the leaves. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add greens and cook about 15 minutes, then drain and discard cooking water. (Mustard, broccoli rabe and turnip greens can be quite pungent, some say bitter. Boiling removes the unpleasant flavor.) In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp and set aside. Add the onion (and garlic) and saute in remaining bacon grease until soft. Crumble the bacon and return to the pan along with the boiled greens. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water or stock and simmer, covered, 30 minutes over low heat. Serves 4 greens lovers.

Asian Chicken Soup with Greens

For the broth:
1 whole chicken
1 head garlic, peeled and smashed
2-3 scallions, cut into large pieces
½ bunch cilantro, leaves, stems and roots, washed
2 inches ginger root, cut into thick slices
1 Tbsp salt & pepper to taste
For the soup:
4 oz. cellophane rice noodles or egg noodles
½ lb greens (bok choy, mustard greens, pea shoots, spinach)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sweet rice cooking wine or mirin
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, for garnish

Rinse the chicken thoroughly, remove giblet bag and place in a large pot with cold water to cover by 2 inches (around 2 ½ quarts of water). Add garlic, cilantro, scallions, ginger, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer very gently for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove chicken carefully to a colander and allow it to cool. Strain the stock and skim the fat that rises to the surface. (If you make the stock in advance, refrigerate it overnight and remove the congealed fat the next day. You can also use a special device for separating fat that looks like a big measuring cup with a spout that pours from the bottom). When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull off all the meat and shred it with your fingers. Use a nice handful of the meat for the soup and save the rest for another use (Vietnamese chicken salad, perhaps?).

Meanwhile soak the rice noodles in warm tap water for 15-20 minutes, drain and set aside. If using egg noodles, cook them in boiling water until al dente, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Wash greens and cut into fairly large pieces. Bring the stock to a boil and season with the soy sauce and wine. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Add greens and chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Place a handful of noodles in each soup bowl. Pour soup over noodles and serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

Variations: This soup can easily be made into wonton soup. Get some wonton wrappers from the store (usually sold next to the tofu). For the filling mix together ½ lb ground pork, 2 finely chopped scallions, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice wine, salt & pepper. Follow directions on the package to fill them. Boil with the greens in the hot stock until they float.