Winter Greens Are Versatile And Nutritious. Here's How To Cook Them.

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Washington Post

Winter tends to draw the short stick when it comes to seasonal produce love. Though its offerings aren't always as bright and colorful as peak spring, summer and fall fruits and vegetables, the cold months still have plenty of delicious things to offer.

Case in point: winter greens. Mustard greens, chard, collard greens and kale are some of the most common you'll see at grocery stores and farmers markets.

"Every green has its own specific flavor,” Texas-based chef and restaurateur Tiffany Derry told me over the phone, so find the one - or ones - that you like the best. In many instances, they can be used interchangeably or in combination with one another. Let the texture of the leaf guide you in how to cook it. Or, if it's a thinner, more tender green, you don't have to cook it at all.

Here's what you need to know to make the most of these delicious and nutritious leaves.

Mustard greens. Photo credit: Scott Suchman for The Washington Post
Mustard greens

Most commonly verdant green but also available in deep reddish-purple or a combination of the two, mustard greens are pungent and spicy - just as their name implies. "I love the spiciness,” said Derry, who called her love for them "top notch.” At one of her restaurants, Roots Southern Tablein Farmers Branch, Texas, she braises them Southern-style alongside other greens and smoked meat to serve with hot water cornbread and pepper vinegar - the way she ate them growing up.

Mustard greens can also be enjoyed raw in salads. "I like shaving it thin enough to where you could truly enjoy the texture and it doesn't feel so fibrous,” Derry said. "You don't want to be chewing for days.”

Karyn Tomlinson, chef and owner of Myriel in St. Paul, Minnesota, is also a fan of these flavorful leaves. "Mustard greens are just packed with nutrients, and they're delicious,” she said over the phone. For salads at the restaurant, she likes to use "teenager” or "juvenile” leaves, as in those that aren't babies but are not yet fully mature.

"They just have so much flavor on their own,” Tomlinson said. "I like to not overdo it.” As a side for a protein, she'll give them a quick sauté with butter, oil or animal fat and season them with salt. "You can even drizzle a little cream around them. Call it creamed mustard greens,” she said. And she cautions against overcooking them. "If they're nice and tender, I think [you should] keep them as fresh as they can be.”

Chard. Photo credit: Scott Suchman for The Washington Post
Chard

Also known as Swiss chard, this beet relative has deep green leaves and can have stems that are pale green or various shades of yellow or red. Flavor-wise, Tomlinson says it's between that of leaf lettuce and spinach. "It's the sweetest of all these vegetables we're talking about.”

"If you use it young enough, it's similar to spinach without such a mineral-y tang,” Tomlinson said. Chard offers more texture than regular leaf lettuce, so she loves using the small leaves in salads for "beautiful, fun pops of color.” She also likens it to bok choy, both in terms of flavor and cooking treatment. "There's a lot of water in that stem. If you cook it, you do need to be aware of that.”

However, chard is not everyone's cup of tea. "I don't absolutely love the flavor by itself,” Derry said. It's "a little bit more earthy in a way that I don't love.” She often mixes it with other greens, such as when she cooks them with "lots of onion and garlic, even tomato,” to use as the base for roast chicken.

Collard greens. Photo credit: Scott Suchman for The Washington Post
Collard greens

Often described as a cross between cabbage and kale in terms of flavor, collard greens taste "kind of bitter, but more earthy,” Tomlinson said. The rich green leaves also have a "leathery” texture that tends to make them better suited for cooking, such as in soups, stews or braises. "There are a lot of options for what you could do,” she said. "I love doing different savory porridges with grains and legumes and throwing collard greens in there ... to get some more nutrients in.” Blanched collards, and the other greens included here, can be used as the stuffing for filled pastas.

Recently, Derry turned the leaves into a pesto to finish a special of chicken and dumplings at one of her restaurants. She's also turned various greens into gremolatas and pistous. Another novel idea? Collard green dip, which she stumbled upon one day after deciding to mix leftover greens with cream cheese and other ingredients. "Anybody can fight me, but I think collard green dip is a thousand times better than spinach dip. Collard greens have so much more flavor and actually have a little texture in the dip,” Derry said. "A little bit of smoked turkey in there, and you've got everything you ever wanted in life.”

Curly kale. Photo credit: Scott Suchman for The Washington Post
Kale

Like the other greens listed here, kale comes in several varieties, such as the bright green, ruffly leaves known as curly kale; a similarly textured variety with red or purple stems known as Russian or red kale; and a flatter, darker blueish-green variety known as lacinato, Tuscan or dinosaur kale (probably called such because its texture is reminiscent of the extinct reptiles' scaly skin).

Among the four vegetables here, kale tends to be the most bitter, Tomlinson said."I love working with kale that has been through a frost. It's a little bit sweeter.” Those looking to tame the bitterness should opt for lacinato or baby kale.

"Oftentimes, people think you can only use baby leaves for salads and you have to cook mature leaves, but not necessarily,” Tomlinson said. Thinly cut the mature leaves, use your hands to massage them with your dressing, and "it's good to go.” Lacinato kale is a little less fibrous, making it even better suited for eating raw. For cooking, you can use it in just about any application: braise it, blanch it, cream it, throw it in a stir-fry. "I would argue if you handle it right, you can eat it in all stages of maturity, as well.”

With tougher, more fibrous stems, for kale and any winter green, leave them in for longer cooking preparations that allow enough time for them to tenderize. Otherwise, the stems can be pickled, used in stir-fries or composted.

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