If you belong to a CSA or have a graden AND you live in the Western Hemisphere, it's likely that you have a lot of greens right now and are wondering how on earth to serve them. This is my second favorite way to cook greens. My husband likes this, and it is simple to keep the greens separate from the other ingredients if you are cooking for a picky eater.
I like this with Swiss chard or spinach. When I have mustard greens, kale, arugula or turnip greens, I usually mix those with Swiss chard or spinach to make a milder dish. If you like stronger-flavored greens, by all means use them full-strength!
Ingredients
8 ounces small pasta (macaroni, bowtie, etc.)
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced and mixed with 1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 heaping mound of greens (Swiss chard, spinach, kale, arugula, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc.), washed and chopped, but not dried
1 handfull of chopped fresh herbs (whatever you have -- I used oregano and thyme) OR 1 tablespoon dried herbs
1 14 ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained*
1/2 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add leeks and cover for 5 minutes until the leeks are softened. Add the garlic and oil mix to the pan, and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Add greens to the pan. If you are using a mix of greens add the tougher ones first. Cook until the greens are soft -- about 5 minutes for spinach, longer for Swiss chard, longer still for kale, and longest of all (about 10 minutes) for turnip greens. Remove the greens from the heat and stir in the herbs. Dip a measuring cup in the pasta water and reserve about a cup of the water. Drain the pasta, then mix the pasta with the greens. If it seems dry, add a bit of the reserved pasta water. Arrange the pasta and greens in bowls, add a few artichoke hearts to each serving and sprinkle with cheese.
* If you use marinated artichoke hearts, don't drain them, just add them and their liquid with the pasta and greens. I like canned artichoke hearts better because they tend to be bigger and toothier.
I find it hard to estimate how much greens will cook down. I used enough greens in this to fill a plastic grocery bag, but it wasn't quite enough. I try to have a higher ratio of greens-to-pasta than shown in the picture. It doesn't matter though, this dish will be good regardless!
Bonus: Are you wondering what my favorite way to cook greens is? I'm so glad you asked. Cook up the leeks (or onion) and garlic with the greens as described above. While the greens cook, toast two pieces of bread and poach two eggs. Butter the toast and arrange side-by-side on a plate. Cover the toast with greens and top with poached eggs. Delicious and fast.
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