Upon opening our C.S.A. box last week, I pulled out a rubber banded bunch of leafy greens. I thought it was arugula, but I later found out that it was in fact collard greens, or “greens” as the southerners say. I get it, I finally understand what they are; they are palmy greens with veins that look like an old man’s arm…or your feet.
Upon looking online for various ways to serve collard greens, I came across the same school of thought over and over; sauteing. Collard greens are far too tough to eat raw, and thus require some sort of cooking breakdown of its components. This summer squash recipe enticed me: instead of using flavorful basil, I used the collard greens, and the large summer squash that came in the box as well.
I first sliced up the summer squash into varying sizes, as well as a green bell pepper which were then tossed in a bowl with olive oil before placing the pieces on the George Foreman Grill (who hasn’t been used in months). After I placed them on the grill, I sparingly grated some fresh salt and pepper to give the pieces a little bit more flavor, and then let them sizzle away while I got the collard greens sauteing.
Together I sauteed collard greens (stems removed, leaves sliced up), with diced white onion, three cloves of garlic and some olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. The pan was getting so hot that the onion and garlic were popping out of the pan! I watched it carefully though and stirred everything around often so as not to burn. (Burnt garlic is the worst, as it develops a very bitter taste.)
When both the grilling and sauteing were complete, I merely added both parts together together in the pan. While doing so, I diced small pieces of feta cheese then stirred everything up, incorporating the squash, green peppers, greens, feta, garlic and onion together. This healthy side dish perfectly compliments the chicken salad sammies that I’ve been consuming all week for lunch. :D
Gastronomy612's Weblog 