Not quite Southern veggie dinner: collards, turnips and okra

Our CSA boxes were replete with greens this week: turnips, radishes, Swiss chard, dandelion greens, bok choy and collard greens. Needless to say, we’re eating greens every night this week, especially since I still had greens hanging out in the fridge from our last box.

First on my hit list was the bunch of collard greens. Earlier this season I braised a batch of collards Southern-style with a little tasso ham, water and a hint of vinegar. This weekend, I found a recipe for Brazilian-style greens that calls for slicing collards into a chiffonade and then flash cooking them a mere two to four minutes. For time sake and curiosity, this seemed like the way to go.

The recipe was simple and stunning. We got to enjoy the flavor and crunch of collards with a minimal time commitment. I used bacon grease instead of olive oil to infuse a Southern touch, and I will most definitely make these again. Thanks to Brazilians, collards are no longer an hour(or more)-long affair.

I played with traditional cooking methods for my okra as well, roasting rather than frying or stewing it. I just toss whole pods with olive oil, salt, pepper and onion, and blasted them at 400° for 25 minutes. The onions and okra had a hint of caramelization, and they still achieved the slippery goodness of stewed okra—just with more flavor. Another victory.

Turnips (my all-time favorite root vegetable) got gussied up with anchovy paste, toasted pecans and fresh parsley. I just sauteed the turnips until tender (you also could roast them, if you like) then tossed them with fishy goodness, nutty crunch and grassy parsley. It was a mouthful of umami and texture.

The veggies paired with wedge of cornbread made a deeply satisfying if not quite deep South dinner.

Brazilian-Style Collards with Bacon
3 strips bacon or 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 pounds collard greens
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Remove stems from collard greens. Divide the leaves into 2 to 3 thick stacks. Roll a stack of greens into a fat cigar shape, and slice the collards into thin 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick strips. Repeat with remaining greens.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large frying pan on medium heat, turning strips every few minutes until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan, drain on paper towels, and crumble. If you’re bacon fat averse or want to prepare a vegetarian dish, omit the bacon and heat olive oil in a large frying pan.

Turn heat up to medium high. Throw greens into the hot bacon grease or olive oil, and cook 2 to 4 minutes. Greens should be tender but still bright green. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and toss in bacon crumbles (if you haven’t eaten them).

Serves 4

Sauteed Turnips with Anchovies, Pecans and Parsley
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds small turnips, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
3 teaspoons anchovy paste
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions
Stir together anchovy paste and 1 teaspoon olive oil.

In a medium frying pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add turnips to the pan, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until tender and just golden. Pour anchovy-oil mixture over the turnips, and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss in pecans and parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Tagged as: anchovy paste, Bacon, Brazilian, collard greens, okra, pecans, turnip