About Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are grown and eaten all over the world. They come in various kinds and forms. These greens in each form, are from the leaves of plants where seeds grow to make mustard. They are the spiciest part of the bitter greens. It is part of the greens family that includes kale, collards, beet greens and turnip greens.
Flavor of The Greens
The flavor of these greens taste very much like mustard. The more you chew, the more prominent the flavor becomes. As baby plants, they are narrow sprigs. As baby plants they are least bitter, and make good fresh salad greens. When the plants grow, they get curly and become more bitter.
Caring for the Greens
A good place to start with any green in your kitchen is to give them a through washing. To wash, fill a bowl full of lukewarm water, and then submerge the mustard greens into the water. Gently swish them back and forth in the water. Next pull the greens out of the water and refill the bowl with fresh water. Repeat the process until the greens are clean. Once clean, place your greens on a drying mat or towel and let them drip dry. You can gently pat them dry if needed, or use a salad spinner if you have one.
What You Need To Cook
If you are looking to cook your greens for a large crowd, you can fit plenty of greens into a 12 quart stock pot. Bitter greens, such as these are available all year. If you are looking for a way to use them, greens paired with pork is always a good option!
Ideas On How To Prepare
Plan to cook your greens on the stove top for at least an hour, on low temperature. In cooking them this way, they will loose their bite and become soft greens. A great complement to the greens is to add some chili-infused vinegar. This will help to give some edge to their tenderness.
Another idea is to braise mustard greens with baron and shallots. This will help to fill in the flavor gap between raw greens and long cooked greens.
These greens that taste a lot like mustard, they are eaten all over the world in forms that are both raw and cooked. Greens can be used in many different ways in your kitchen.
What is your favorite way to use mustard greens?
What is Escarole? Learn all about it! Then check out, Help! I Ate A Hot Pepper! Know what you should do when this happens to you.
Previous
Next
