Greens with Sweet Onion and Feta Cheese

Superb on any short, substantial pasta, it also tastes good by itself, with a big chunk of crusty bread to mop up the juices.  Try a combination of kale, escarole or chard, and mustard greens to complement the pungent flavor of the cheese.

(Yields: 4 – 6 servings, Preparation: 40 minutes – 15 minutes of work)

 

2 cups of cooked and mashed butternut squash,

4 large bunches of fresh greens, steamed if necessary, and coarsely chopped.  (about 12 cups)

 

3 cups sliced onion (If available, use a sweet variety like Vidalia or Maui, otherwise regular onions will do)

1/2  to 3/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled

 

Pepper to taste

 

 


Directions
1 Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven.  Add the onion and salt lightly.  Sauté over high heat for about 5 minutes, then turn the heat to medium, cover, and let the onion cook until very tender (about 10 more minutes).

2 Add the greens in batches (as much as will fit), sprinkling lightly with salt after each addition.

3 When all the greens have wilted, stir in the feta, and cook for about 2 minutes longer.  Taste to adjust salt.  (Some feta cheeses are saltier then others.)

4 Transfer to a platter, and grind on a generous amount of black pepper.  Serve hot or warm, on or next to pasta or grains, or by itself.

 

 

BITTER GREENS W/SWEET ONIONS AND SOUR CHERRIES

 

Same ingredients as above except as follows:

 

1 cup fresh sour cherries, pitted (or canned unsweetened sour cherries, drained)

Place cherries in small bowl and sprinkle with sugar.  Let sit 10 minutes.

 

Follow recipe above and when all greens have wilted, stir in the sour cherries and

cook for just about 5 minutes longer.  Transfer to platter and serve hot or warm.

Be sure to include some of the delicious cooking juices with each serving.

 

 

Broccoli Raab and Hon Tsai Tai with Lemon

 

Broccoli Raab is the bunch of greens without any tops, whereas Hon Tsai Tai is the greens with purple stems and yellow flowers.  The entire plant is edible. 

 

1 lb each broccoli raab (rapini) and Hon Tsai Tai, 6 Tablespoons of olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, 1 onion optional, salt and pepper to taste, 2 Fresh Lemons.

 

Clean and trim the tough stems from the broccoli raab and Hon Tsai Tai.  (Most should be edible but you should try them raw to see how they are for you!)  Heat olive oil, onion and garlic.  Sauté briefly.  Add greens, salt & pepper then stir until just tender.  Place in serving dish and if desired, drizzle with lemon juice.