Twice Cooked Greens with Onions & Celery

Prep: 20 minutes / Cooking: 10 minutes / Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Parboiling whole leaves of kale, collards, or turnip or mustard greens reduces their strong bitter flavor and retains their bright green color. It also makes them more tender, tasty, and digestable. You can do this several hours ahead or the night before serving. Sautéing makes them taste great. It also seals in the flavor and boosts absorption of their vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I like to prepare enough for 2 or 3 meals and serve the leftovers at room temperature for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. FYI: One pound of raw greens will reduce to about 3 cups.

Ingredients

2 to 3 quarts filtered water
2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt
1½ to 2 pounds kale, collards, or mustard or turnip greens (2 large or 3-4 medium bunches); makes about 4 to 5 cups cooked
Cool filtered water plus 1 tray of ice cubes to cool greens
2 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut or olive oil, or ghee; double if desired
1 medium or ½ large red or yellow onion, cut into thin crescents (about 1½ cups)
2 stalks celery cut into ½-inch-wide pieces
2 small to medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried, rubbed sage, cumin, dry mustard, or combination
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle or ground black pepper, or to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce or ½ to 1 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt
¼ to ½ cup raw or lightly toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped, optional

Directions

Bring salted water to boil in quart pot. Separate leaves and discard woody bottom portion of each stem and any rotten or yellowed pieces. Swish leaves well. in cold water to remove all traces of sand. Strip stems from leaves.
Cook greens uncovered, until almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. When greens are cool, drain but do not squeeze. Chop into bite-size pieces (squares or strips).
Cook onions in oil in a 10- to 13-inch heavy skillet, wok, or casserole over medium-high heat. When tender, add celery, garlic, sage, pepper, tamari or sea salt, and walnuts. Stir and cook for a few minutes until celery is crisp tender.
Add chopped, cooked greens and cook, tossing frequently with tongs or turning with a wooden spoon, until greens are heated through and tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve.
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered glass or stainless steel container and use within 2 days. Remove leftovers from the fridge 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Variations

Experiment with different herbs and spices. Use a single green or a combination of several kinds of hardy greens.

Reprinted with permission from The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook by Rachel Albert-Matesz and Don Matesz (Planetary Press, 2004).

Check out other Rachel Albert recipes:

Baked Fish Fillets with Practically Paleo Pesto

Practically Paleo Pesto

Cinnamon Spice Tea

Creamy Carrot Soup with Ginger