Greens

Preparation

1. Arugula, too bitter

   Step 1

   Well, it’s supposed to be a bitter green, but some arugula is more bitter than others, and the bitterness does intensify as it ages. If you’re using it raw (we assume in a salad), tear it up really small and mix with other, blander, greens. If you’re cooking it, you can mix it with a less bitter green (like spinach), or it is complemented nicely by white beans.

2. Bland

   Step 2

   For cooked greens, try adding one or more of these: mace, marjoram, or rosemary to the cooking water; a sprinkling of poppy seeds or sesame seeds on the finished product. Do you like vinegar? Balsamic vinegar sprinkled on hot greens is tasty! A squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of garlic (fresh or powdered) can be nice, too.

   Step 3

   For raw greens, add anise (about 1/4 teaspoon, crushed, per 4 servings), basil, chervil, caraway, or savory.

3. Browning

   Step 4

   If your lettuce or other greens are looking brown or rusty, store them in a plastic bag along with a couple of paper napkins to absorb the excess moisture, which is the problem. Some supermarkets drench their greens. They look dewy, but they rot in a few days when you bring them home. Drain such greens well before refrigerating with those paper towels.

4. Collards, tough

   Step 5

   Collards tend to be more fibrous, and thus tougher, than other greens. Cut out the middle stem and cook them longer than other greens. Some recipes will have you cook them all day, but really about 30 minutes ought to do it.

5. Difficult to separate

   Step 6

   If you can’t easily separate the leaves of a head of lettuce or another tightly packed green vegetable, hit the stem end sharply on the counter. Then twist out the core (it should come out easily if you hit it hard enough) and run cold water vigorously into the hole you have created. The leaves will separate beautifully, not unlike a leafy green peacock.

6. Dirty

   Step 7

   For bunch greens like spinach and kale, cut the base off the bunch first—that’s where most of the dirt is. Swish it around in a tub or large pot of water to loosen the dirt, eggs, bugs, and worms. Drain. Now that you’ve learned what might have been in your greens, you’ve probably thrown them in the garbage and bought some nice canned vegetables. Not to worry: washing really works. Fill your pot or tub with water again, this time with cold water, and rinse (at least three times for the really muddy stuff), draining and refreshing the rinse water until clean. If there is dirt on the bottom of your pot, your greens are still dirty.

7. Smelly

   Step 8

   If cooking greens get too smelly for your taste (or nose), add some salt to the cooking water and cook uncovered.

8. Spinach is too spinach

   Step 9

   Nothing else is quite as spinachy as spinach. If your spinach is too spinachy, de-spinach it by adding some curry powder, about 1/2 teaspoon to a package of frozen spinach. If it still tastes bad, try just a little crushed pineapple. Honest.

9. Wet

   Step 10

   For regular loosely packed greens, let them drip into a colander; wrap them lightly in an absorbent towel, and chill. For Bibb lettuce and other full-headed greens, place them on a thick towel, cover with a kitchen towel, and chill for an hour or two.

   Step 11

   If you need greens to be dry right away, throw them in a pillowcase and spin them dry by swinging them around in a circle outdoors, holding the pillowcase closed.

10. Wilted

    Step 12

    If you’ve got an hour, dip the greens in hot water, then in ice water with a dash of vinegar. Shake the excess liquid from them and chill them in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

    Step 13

    If you need them right away, unwilt them by tossing them with a few drops of oil to coat the leaves before adding the dressing.

    Step 14

    For hopelessly wilted greens, try the following interesting recipe for hopelessly wilted greens.