I can admit it, last year in my CSA I was totally unprepared for the spring onslaught of greens. Collard greens, beet greens, kale, and swiss chard kicked my ass last year. I could not get past the bitterness, was not sure how to cook them and was not happy at all with the results. I watch a lot of Food Network and noticed that people from the Southern USA go crazy for greens, I could not for the life of me understand why. Southerners, the guardians of BBQ, corn bread, mac and cheese and everything bacon, cannot be considered culinary martyrs. If they are eating this stuff then it has to taste good.
I paid particular attention any time anyone on Food Network cooked greens, I also did some reading and discussed green preparation with a few of my twitter friends. The first thing I learned was don’t be shy about cooking greens. There are amazing nutrients in these greens, but they are locked up and cooking them well makes the nutrients easier for us to absorb. Also cooking them leaches out some of the bitterness, they will still have a bitter flavor, but don’t be afraid of that, we will balance that with other flavours.
Bitter ingredients beg for fat, spice, sour and sweet. Not to cover up the flavor but to balance it. Now I know some people will question the use of fat here, but as was pointed out to me by Halifax nutritionist Kristine Elliott (@FeistyForks for twitter), many of the nutrients in greens are fat soluble so they will be absorbed much better if they are cooked with some fat.
My first greens this year are some of the most bitter, so it was exactly what I needed to get my green preparation down cold. Greens were a major fail last year in this house, but the following recipes were very well received and I feel like I am ready for my spring greens. Here are my two dandelion green recipes, and this approach will work for other bitter greens as well.
Initial Preparation:
Ingredients:
6 cups of dandelion greens
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Heat a stock pot about half full of water to a rolling boil, add in 2 Tbsp of salt and 1 Tbsp of cider vinegar. Place the greens in the water for 12 to 15 minutes.
Drain the greens thoroughly and you can use them in one of the two following recipes.
Dandelion Greens with Bacon and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 batch of boiled greens
2 strips of thick cut meaty bacon
1/2 a small onion fine dice
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dice the bacon into 1/4 inch dice and render the fat off, cooking until crisp, remove from the pan and reserve. In a saute pan heat up keep 2 tsp of the bacon fat and, add in the chopped onion and sweat until it become translucent, add in the sesame seeds. Add in the drained greens and stir, separating the greens and mixing in the onion and sesame seeds. Add in about 4 turns of fresh ground black pepper. Saute until the greens are very hot and any excess moisture has cooked off.
While the greens are cooking make a dressing. Dressings are a simple ration of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For this I used 2 tsp of olive oil, and 1 tsp of walnut oil to 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar. I added in a 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard and 1 tsp of honey. Stir this together and add it to the greens. Once it is hot add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Sautéed Dandelions Greens with Garlic and Red Chili
Ingredients:
1 batch of boiled greens
2 tsp of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 a small onion fine diced
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp dried crushed red chili
1 tsp of argan oil (or sesame seed oil)
1 tsp of white wine vinegar
1 tsp of honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan, add in the onion, crushed red chilies and garlic and sweat them off. In another pan toast the sesame seeds until golden. You want this toasted flavor, it will replace the smokiness from the bacon in the first recipe. Add in the sesame seeds and greens to the pan and cook until they are very hot and the excess liquid has cooked off. Mix the argan oil (or sesame oil), white wine vinegar and honey and then add to the greens. Cook for a few more minutes then add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Argan Oil:
This is a new product to me. I am trying to expand my inventory of healthy oils to use in sauces, dressings and dips. Argan oil is an extremely healthy oil rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins. It is produced out of Morocco and using this oil is not only healthy but also humanitarian benefits. The tree that produces the nut is endangered and UNESCO has hope that the expansion of 
sales of this oil in developed nations will encourage the cultivation and preservation of this tree. It is a tree that does well in the harsh North Africa climate so it would be very advantageous to have groves of this tree. The purchase of this oil also supports the women of the Berber tribe as they produce and sell this exclusively. This is an amazing product, very nutty and rich. It will add a lot of flavor to your veggies and salads. Though I use predominantly local ingredients if I am going to send money over seas for a product that cannot be cultivated here, this is a great product to use. I encourage you to hit the Halifax Market on International Day (Every Friday) and drop by the booth where it is sold. There is a very nice young man there that will tell you all about this fantastic product and give you a taste.
Thanks to my local suppliers:
Dandelion Greens, Onions : Taproot and Noggins CSA
Garlic and Bacon: Active Life Farms
Tim's Kitchen Table 