Mark Diacono
LATIN NAME
Brassica oleracea
SEASONALITY
March–May
MORE RECIPES
Braised white beans with greens; Marinated tofu with spring greens; Braised Savoy cabbage with mustard; Pak choi with sticky prune sauce
This is a loose term for a loose and lovely vegetable – essentially a less than fully mature cabbage. Some varieties form little or no heart, ‘Wintergreen’ for example. Others are cabbages that, in the right conditions, would form a tight, compact ball of leaves in the centre but which can be harvested while still loose and open. ‘Duncan’ is an excellent choice. The cold tolerance of these varieties means they can be grown through the winter and are ready to harvest from early spring, when other veg pickings are relatively slim. Pointed summer cabbages, planted close together so they don’t grow too big, often produce very good ‘spring’ greens too, and can be cropped well into the summer.
While heartless, these greens are far from soulless, having a rich but sweet flavour and a relatively tender texture. This makes them a welcome change from the firm crunch of many mature winter cabbages. All but the thickest or most damaged outer leaves can be eaten. The coarser stalks should be removed too, because they can be tough and fibrous, but there’s no need to worry about the more slender stems. The leaves themselves cook to a silky texture.
Most of the time, I treat their sweet, gentle nuttiness very simply, just rolling the leaves into a ‘cigar’ and finely shredding them before steaming or boiling for just a few minutes until tender. A little salt, pepper and butter are all that’s needed to ready them for whatever main course needs a little green side.
Spring greens work deliciously with pasta too. For a quick midweek supper or lunch, finely slice a rasher or two of bacon and fry until lightly browned, before adding a handful of shredded spring greens and a finely chopped garlic clove and cooking for 5–6 minutes. Add a splash of cream and/or wild garlic if it is still in season, along with salt and pepper, and serve with spaghetti. That affinity between greens and gentle wild garlic is something to exploit in a delicious side dish – just stir wild garlic leaves into steamed or boiled shredded greens and their heat will wilt them deliciously.
‘Crispy seaweed’ is often, in fact, deep-fried spring greens and is easy to make. Remove the central rib from each leaf and thinly shred the fleshy part of the leaves, blanch in boiling water, drain and thoroughly pat dry. The shredded leaves can then be deep-fried, but I prefer to drizzle them with a little olive oil and bake them in a hot oven (220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7) for 5–7 minutes, turning halfway through if need be. Salt and pepper, sesame seeds, Chinese five-spice or a blend of mild chilli powder and smoked paprika sprinkled over them works wonders.
SPRING GREENS WITH LEMON AND GARLIC
Sharp lemon and sweet garlic bring out all the vegetal deliciousness of spring greens. This makes a fantastic side dish for almost any meat or fish, or serve it up next to a potato gratin and a dish of pulses. Serves 2–4
2 good heads of spring greens
20g butter
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 small garlic clove, grated
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper
Cut the base away from the bunches of spring greens and discard any rough or damaged outer leaves. Strip out the coarser stems. Roll several leaves at a time into fat ‘cigars’ then slice them across their length into thick ribbons.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the greens, stirring them into the water, then cook for 3–4 minutes, until just done but retaining a little bite. Drain thoroughly.
Return the pan to a low heat and add the butter, oil, garlic and lemon zest. Let sizzle gently for a minute or so, then return the greens to the pan and stir to combine. Season well with salt and pepper and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Serve straight away.