Greens With Garlic and Parmesan

I'm not from the South, but when I first moved there I fell hard for greens. However, Yankee that I am, I don't feel that simmering them all day with a chunk of bacon truly releases their full potential. :D This is one of our favorite dishes and it can be adapted to suit many different varieties. I made turnip greens, cabbage, escarole, and curly endive last night. Mmmm. Note -- I guessed a bit on the weight because different greens are lighter or denser. A standard kitchen colander heaping full of chopped greens is about right. Prep time includes cleaning greens of ordinary sandiness. Really muddy ones out of your garden right after a rainstorm will take longer. ;)

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 -3  lbs  mixed greens (See step one for suggested combinations)
• 3 -4  garlic cloves, crushed in press
• 2 -3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1 -2  tablespoon  balsamic vinegar or 1 -2  tablespoon red wine vinegar or 1 -2  tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese
•  fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Note on selecting greens: While you can cook just one type, I find that a mix of stronger greens such as mustard, turnip, collard, dandelion, curly endive, escarole, -- with milder greens such as kale, cabbage, chard, beet, napa, bok choi, spinach, -- gives the best depth of flavor. Usually I try to have 4 kinds: some strong, some mild, some with a firmer texture, some with a softer texture.
2. Clean and chop greens. I think you get the best results from soaking them in a sink full of cold water. If they are very muddy you might start with a bucket of water to be dumped outdoors rather than put all that dirt down your drain.
3. Heat up the garlic and olive oil in whatever pan you'd usually use for stir-fry. I use my cast iron chicken fryer. Add the strongest/toughest greens that need the longest cooking.
4. Gently saute the greens, stirring frequently. Add more handfuls of greens from toughest/strongest to mildest/tenderest as they cook down.
5. When they are just barely done stir in the vinegar then sprinkle on the parmesan.
6. Turn off the heat, cover* the pan, and let sit 10 minutes before serving so that the vinegar can meld into the greens and the cheese can melt.
7. Some people like more vinegar at the table, others just like a little black pepper.
8. *If you've just realized that your pan has no lid don't panic. Cover it with aluminum foil or a large plate instead. ;).