Fresh produce is an essential key to health, and in this era of heightened awareness of wellness, eating dark leafy greens daily is an easy and critical practice to cultivate. Steaming is perhaps the simplest technique for preparing hearty greens and requires no special utensils. I purchase greens weekly at my local farmers market and upon returning, I prepare several days worth of greens right away so they will be ready for eating later in the week. The method which follows is applicable to nearly every variety of dark leafy green.
PREPARATION:
1. Rinse greens and trim about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the stems. The stems are edible and nutritious and should not be discarded.
2. Put a few inches of fresh water into a pot with a well fitting lid and bring to a boil.
3. Stack the greens in the pot, pressing gently so they fit, and cover. They do not need to be immersed in the water.
4. Gently simmer just until greens wilt. The timing will vary depending on the thickness of the leaves. The rainbow chard pictured above requires about 3 minutes. Steam a little longer if you prefer more thoroughly cooked greens, but don't over cook. I usually turn the greens over once during cooking.
5. Remove greens immediately from pot and place in a colander to cool.
6. Pour the cooking water into clean glass jars and reserve for later use.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
It's fun to invent creative presentations for steamed greens. Here I've cut off the stems (and set them aside for snacks) and rolled up the leaves:
Drizzle with olive oil, a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Other delicious garnishes:
Toasted sesame seeds
Toasted chopped almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts
Lemon or lime juice
Fresh or dried oregano, marjoram or basil
Umeboshi vinegar
STORAGE:
Steamed greens keep perfectly well for several days in a covered glass or stainless steel container in the fridge.
Greens can be served at room temperature, or gently warmed in a skillet in a little olive oil.
Whole leaves can be cut up before heating; kitchen shears are a great tool which make this task effortless. Greens can also be warmed briefly in some of the reserved cooking water. Add a peeled garlic clove to the broth if you wish. Enjoy a cup of the broth as a quick, energizing snack.
VARIETIES OF LEAFY GREENS:
If you have access to a farmers market you will find many varieties of dark leafy greens which are not commonly available in conventional food stores. Some of the densely nutritious greens available now in Northern California farmers markets are:
Rainbow Chard
Collards
Beet Greens
Spigarello
White Russian Kale
Italian (Lacinato) Kale
Mustard Greens
Mizuna
Bok Choy
Arugula
Watercress
NEW TASTES AND FLAVORS:
Fresh local produce is full of intense complex flavors. It may take some practice to notice and appreciate them, especially if you are not accustomed to eating simple, unprocessed foods. If fresh, simply prepared greens seem flavorless or unappealing to you, try a mini fast of sixteen or eighteen hours; a serving of greens and a cup of warm broth may be a revelation when hunger is genuine.
During this extraordinary time, when food shopping is challenging and we must make do with narrower choices, consider taking the opportunity to re-frame preexisting ideas and expectations about what food should taste like, and what a meal consists of.
Our ancestors were foragers, gatherers and hunters, who did not eat three meals a day, nor did they know about the four food groups, food pyramids, vitamins, proteins or calories. Somehow, they were strong and resilient enough to reproduce generation after generation, and to survive over thousands of years in the absence of supermarkets, fast food, take-out and restaurants. Perhaps we can be inspired today by their example.
