good greens: good and green!
Local beets be ’bout gone, but big ruby beauties beckoned this past Saturday, all coyly coiffed with scarlet-striped greens atop scarlet stalks. Who would dream of throwing away those leafy lagniappes? I save the edible greens from most of my produce: all the root veggies plus kohlrabi, and leek tops go straight into the freezer to await the stockpot. Carrot tops I utilize the least, but I try to get to them as well.
Easy for creamin’, beet greens quickly cook up tenderly toothsome without disintegrating. For my last batch I wilted the rinsed leaves in hot olive oil (Central Market’s organic brand offers a great value or try Texas Olive Ranch for local), added a splash of organic cream (Organic Valley’s my top choice) and a small chunk of organic cream cheese (CM’s own brand is usually cheapest). Seasoned with a dash of garam masala and salt to taste, these greens didn’t even need a squeeze of fresh lemon for brightening at the table, but it’s up to you!
