How to Clean Braising Greens

Using braising greens can be a bit daunting for a novice. But, once you get used to them, they are an invaluable way to add more vegetables to cooked dishes and they make a delicious side dish when braised. They can also be marinated in a vinaigrette for a couple hours until they break down a bit and are easier to chew and digest.

Braising greens is kind of an umbrella term that encompasses (but is not limited to) the following: kale, tuscan kale, beet tops, rainbow chard, turnip greens, and collard greens. This general term indicates the darkly pigmented leaves that are generally quite sturdy and hold up to cooking. Some are tougher than others. You can roughly gauge how long it will take to cook greens relative to each other simply by feeling how tough the leaves are between your fingers.

One thing to note with braising greens is that, by definition, they have a very strong taste. Each of the greens are chock-full of vitamins which can make them tend towards a bitter flavor. This is why it is a good idea to mix your greens. Since each plant has a distinct flavor, by mixing them, the flavors cancel each other out to a small degree. Beet greens and tuscan kale are more neutral flavored than many braising greens, so they are a good place to start.

To prepare greens, rinse all dirt from them, especially the bottom of the stems where dirt tends to cling. You want to separate the leafy green parts from the fibrous stems. Begin by holding the stem in your hand and pulling the leaves off trying to leave as much of the stem intact as possible. Then, tear the leaves into manageable sized pieces (approx 3 in by 3 inches or less). Remember that the greens will cook down a lot. A full 9 inch saute pan will cook down to about 1/2 cup of cooked greens.

Now, keep your braised greens in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator until you can use them. Leaving them in the open air in the refrigerator will cause them to wilt.