Greens Fit for Company

I doubt that greens have ever been served at a fancy dinner party-well.... outside the SOUTH anyway! These however WILL pass the mustard. hehehe. Whether you are serving them fancy or plain they are sure to please. These are meat free so veggies and carnivores alike can enjoy them but you could always add some meat for those who just gotta have it. The cooking steps are important here to remove some of the bitterness which is what most people do not like about greens. Prior to this recipe I did not enjoy greens for that reason.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  lbs greens, any type- see note
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  cups garlic, sliced thin
• 1⁄2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1  cup chicken broth or 1  cup vegetable broth

• Garnish

•  lemon, quarters
•  crushed red pepper flakes
•  balsamic vinegar
•  sugar

Directions

1. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add enough salt to the water to make the water taste salty. About 1-2 Tbsp should do it.
2. Fill a clean sink with warm water, toss greens in and swish around a little to agitate them and help shake any sand lose.
3. Add a small palmful of salt or a good glug of white vinegar. This kills any bugs that may be hiding in the greens and makes them float to the surface where you can scoop them off.
4. Let them sit in the water for a few minutes. The sand will sink to the bottom of the sink and the greens will float to the top.
5. Remove greens from the water and place in a strainer. Rinse once more while they are in the strainer to make sure all sand is removed and to rinse off the salt/vinegar water.
6. Toss greens into boiling water and allow to boil for 7 minutes. This initial step will help to remove a lot of the bitterness.
7. Drain and immediately put greens into a bowl of ice water to shock them- this keeps them very green and stops the cooking process so they don't get overdone.
8. Drain again and shake well or pat dry with paper towels just to remove excess water.
9. Add olive oil, garlic and pepper flakes to a skillet set over medium heat.
10. Add greens when oil begins to sizzle and pour broth over top.
11. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
12. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
13. Serve with lemon wedges, extra red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce and sugar and allow each person to season to their taste if they desire.
14. PS Kids (and some adults) seem to be more ready to taste at least one bite if they can cover them with sugar.
15. Hope you enjoy these!
16. Note: This works well with tougher greens like collards, mustard, turnip etc -- If you wish to use a more tender green like spinach, baby beet greens etc. Skip the preboil step.