Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the stems, the stronger this flavor will be. (The red hue comes from betalain, the same pig-
ment that colors beets.) Chard leaves are nearly as leathery as collard greens. Still, they
are far tenderer than the stems and should be cooked separately, at least at first.
Southern cooks most commonly combine all of the greens and boil together, but be-
cause of their varying textures, it's often a good idea to start them separately, particularly
if you're going to saute them afterward.
Blanch the greens in separate batches in a big pot of rapidly boiling salted water just
until they wilt and become tender. Mustards will be done almost instantly. Kale will take
3 to 4 minutes. Chard leaves will take 4 to 5 minutes (the stems will take 5 to 7 minutes).
Collards can take nearly 10 minutes. Once you've blanched them, combine them to finish
the cooking.
Blanching is necessary only when you want all of the greens to have the same texture.
Sometimes that's not desirable. In the ricotta tart on page 336, for example, the variety of
textures is part of the attraction. Some of the greens are chewy; others are almost melting.
In Southern Comfort Soup (page 335), blanching isn't necessary because the greens are
minced so finely in the food processor that the differences in texture aren't really notice-
able.
Perhaps paradoxically, before the color fades, it first becomes much more intense. Time
it just right, and you can end the blanching just at that moment, preferably by shocking the
greens in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking cold. This brightening happens because the
cooking drives off the air that is trapped in the leaves along with the chlorophyll. With the
air gone, the bright green color shines much more vividly.
W H E R E T H E Y' R E G R OWN : More than half of the collards in our markets
come from Georgia, and more than half of the kale comes from California. California
grows more mustard greens than Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina or Texas.
