Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Although most southern greens may be best as a collective, each variety is slightly dif-
ferent, and good cooks are pretty picky about the perfect ratio of one type to another. There
is nothing haphazard about a well-prepared mess.
Mustard greens are the most fragile. Their flavor is strong and peppery, but their texture
is almost frilly, and their color is pale. In greens-loving neighborhoods, you'll sometimes
see a distinction made between mustards and "Texas mustards," which are even more del-
icate. These can even be used in salads, albeit sparingly, as you would a strong-flavored
herb.
Collards are the sturdiest greens, with a leathery texture that takes some cooking to
break down. Once they are cooked thoroughly, however, their texture is downright silky,
and their flavor is complex and minerally.
Kale also is tough. It's the green that's used for garnish in cheap salad bars because
it can be left for days without wilting. It is usually the darkest green in the bunch, and
both its flavor and cooked texture can best be described as meaty. Particularly good is the
oldfashioned Tuscan cavalo nero or lacinato, made over for a modern mass audience and
relabeled "dinosaur kale" because of its rough texture. Its color is so dark that it's nearly
black, but when cooked it brightens to a brilliant forest green. Cook it low and slow, and
the flavor will be downright sweet.
Some greens are the leaves of plants that are primarily grown for other parts. Beet and
turnip greens taste true to their roots and are among the tenderest of all greens.
And then there are the Asian cooking greens. The most familiar are bok choy and the
slightly mustardy green commonly called Chinese broccoli, Chinese kale or gai Ian. Bok
choy generally forms a very large head with dark green leaves and stark white ribs. There
are a couple of smaller varieties, too. Cantonese bok choy looks the same, but in mini-
ature; Shanghai is small and has jade green ribs; Taiwanese is smaller and leaner. Bok
choy is generally very mild-tasting and is good simply steamed or blanched. Chinese broc-
coli is probably a distant relative of the Mediterranean varieties, but it consists mainly of
thin stems and leaves. It is best blanched and sauteed. Take a hint from the flavor similar-
ity and use it as a substitute for the much more expensive broccoli rabe in Italian dishes.
Finally, there are the chards, which are appreciated as much for their stems as for their
leaves. Most commonly, you'll find red- and white-stemmed chards, but there is also a
new variety with stems of varied colors called rainbow chard, which is sometimes pack-
aged under the nom de commerce Bright Lights. The flavor of chard is minerally, with a
beetlike sweetness that differs depending on the variety. Perhaps predictably, the redder
