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Good Greens
by Fran Claro
Greens, or verdure. I find it’s easy to make a meal of greens, especially when I team them with pasta or make them a part of a savory soup main dish. They're tasty, nutritious, and as leftovers, they add a nice touch to almost any sandwich.
I flavor spinach, escarole, chicory, kale, cabbage, broccoli, even cauliflower in pretty much the same fashion. But I parboil the tougher greens, like escarole, kale, and swiss chard before giving them a bath in warm fragrant oil and strewing them with fruits and nuts.
Spinach with Fruits and Nuts
- 2 pounds baby spinach, well rinsed and dried (substitute 1 head cauliflower or broccoli florets, 1 head thinly sliced Savoy cabbage, or 1 large bunch parboiled till almost tender kale or swiss chard)
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons currants, raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- In a large shallow skillet, heat olive oil until hot but not smoking.
- Add garlic, nuts, and fruit. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add greens right away. Stir so that fruits and nuts are distributed. Cook over high heat, stirring often for about five minutes or until vegetables are brightly colored and crisp-tender.
- To keep the vegetables crisp, for serving, spoon them onto a dinner plate or platter, not into a bowl.
"Broccoli, how we love you, broccoli!" From its first appearance as finger-food, broccoli has always been a hit with my kids. And when I’m searching the vegetable bin for something—anything—green to serve with pasta as either a main course or side dish, I invariably find a crisp green bunch.
If I come up with only spinach or brussels sprouts, I use either of those. To give the following dish grown-up appeal for a dinner party, substitute broccoli de rapé, or bitter broccoli, and don’t stint on the hot pepper flakes.
Pasta with Broccoli or Broccoli de Rapé
- 1 pound pasta (rotini, rotelle, gemelli)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, quartered
- 1 bunch broccoli or broccoli de rapé(well-trimmed, stalks peeled) cut into florets or spinach or brussels sprouts, sliced
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- dried red pepper flakes (optional)
- Bring five quarts of well-salted water to a boil in a covered pot.
- Toss the pasta into the rapidly boiling water and stir. Do not cover.
- In a large shallow skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil with a generous quantity of salt and freshly ground pepper. Watch carefully.
- When the garlic turns golden, stir in the vegetable. Cover skillet. Cook vegetable, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. (For spinach or brussels sprouts, adjust cooking time to your liking.)
- Test pasta for doneness after 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and fold it into the broccoli in the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, shaking the pan until the pasta is coated and glistens with the oil and juice of the broccoli.
- Dish into individual bowls. Pass dried red pepper flakes at the table. Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish.
About the Author
Fran Claro is a cook and contributing writer to Food & Crafts. She lives in Irvington, New York where she dreams up Italian feasts for her extended family.