What we think of as winter greens (mustard greens, chard, bok choy and kale) have two growing seasons in Colorado: late spring/early summer, and late summer/early fall.
All those old-time, slow-cooking greens recipes, for potlikker stew or kale and bean soup, are meant for hardy, fully matured greens with the fibrous texture of plants that have withstood a hard frost or two. The braising greens you’ll find at the farmers market now have leaves that are small and delicate, and all they need to be sweet, tender and juicy is a minute or two in a hot pan.
I like to use braising greens in ravioli, as a bed for grilled or sauteed fish, in a stir fry, added at the end in a minestrone, or on a bruschetta with chickpeas and pecorino as in the recipe here.
The bruschetta (as my wife, who spent several years in Italy, points out, it’s pronounced “brew-SKE-tah,” not the more elegant sounding but incorrect “brew-SHEH-tah”) is just a piece of toasted bread that’s aggressively rubbed with garlic while it’s still warm from the oven.
Note: If you can get it, make this recipe with pecorino nero, which for me is the king of all pecorinos. Ask for it at your local specialty cheese shop, or visit The Truffle Cheese Shop, 2906 East 6th Ave., 303-322-7363.
John Broening cooks at Olivea and Duo restaurants in Denver.
Bruschetta with Braising Greens, Chickpeas and Pecorino
Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups braising greens, washed and dried
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained
Pinch chile flakes
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1/2lemon
4 slices ciabatta
2 ounces aged pecorino, shaved
Directions
Preheat oven to 450.
Thinly slice one clove of garlic. In a large saute pan or a wok, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced garlic, and cook until lightly colored. Add the greens, and toss well. Add the chickpeas, chile flakes and salt and pepper. Season with the lemon juice. Spread the greens out on a plate.
Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes. Slice the other garlic clove in half lengthwise. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, rub it on both sides with the halved garlic clove. Top the bread slices with greens mixture, and top the greens with the pecorino. Return the bruschetta to the oven, and cook until cheese is melted and the greens mixture is warm. Serve immediately.
