Recipes to renew our love of winter greens

Homemade Sauerkraut
adapted from The Art of Simple Food

Despite our cabbage-loving ways, we’ve personally never experimented with making kraut (although many of our customers have done so successfully with our cabbage). If anyone else has a sure fire favorite recipe, send it our way. In the meantime, here’s a recipe from Alice Waters that sounds simple and tasty:

If you’ve never had homemade sauerkraut before, it will be a revelation. And it is easy to make at home: the longer it ferments, the softer the texture and the more intense the flavor. The rule-of-thumb ratio is 1½ teaspoons salt per pound of cabbage.

Remove any damaged outer leaves from 1 large, firm cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Cut the halves into quarters and slice the quarters as thin as possible. You should have about 5 cups of shredded cabbage, depending on size of cabbage (weigh sliced cabbage if unsure about necessary salt ratio).

Put the shredded cabbage into a bowl with 3½ teaspoons sea salt (or other amount, depending on weight) and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional). Thoroughly work the salt into the cabbage with your fingers until the cabbage begins to release juices. Pack the cabbage into a non-reactive container, such as a 2-quart glass jar. Press the cabbage down as you are packing it in. There should be enough liquid to cover the cabbage. If not, top it up with a brine made from 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon salt.

Place a weight over the cabbage to keep it submerged under the brine (see Note). Cover the jar loosely with a dish towel. Let the cabbage ferment at room temperature for 1 week or so. Remove any scum that may appear on the surface of the brine. At this point taste the sauerkraut. If you like the flavor, remove the weight, cover the jar, and refrigerate. Otherwise, let it continue to ferment until it reaches the desired flavor. The sauerkraut will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.

Note: The weight can be anything clean and heavy — a rock resting on a plate slightly smaller in diameter than the container, a small jar filled with water, or a water-filled plastic bag (well secured so it won’t leak). The important thing is to hold the cabbage down below the level of the brine.

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Buttered Cabbage
adapted from The Art of Simple Food

Trim a cabbage of any damaged outer leaves. Cut the head in half and remove the core. Cut the halves into quarters and slice thin. Put the sliced cabbage in a pan with a large knob of butter, salt to taste, and ½ inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, turn down the heat, and cook at a simmer until the cabbage is tender. Taste for salt and butter and adjust as needed.

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Pizza with Rapini and Roasted Onion
adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables

Dice one large onion and toss in a small ovenproof sauté pan with a pinch of salt and enough olive oil to coat lightly, and leaves of thyme (if on hand). Put the pan in the oven (375°) and roast, stirring occasionally, until the onion is cooked and golden, about 30 minutes.

While the onion is roasting, wash and drain rapini. You can use any kind for this pizza, but the flavor will affect the resulting pizza. Use arugula rapini for a spicier pizza or Brussels sprout or lacinato rapini for a milder topping. Trim off any tough stems, and roughly chop remaining rapini into a coarse chiffonade (i.e. thin strips). There should be enough to make about 2 cups. Peel and finely chop one or more cloves garlic. Heat a large sauté pan and coat it with olive oil. Add the rapini, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of hot pepper flakes, and fry over high heat until rapini is tender. Add the garlic and fry, tossing, for another minute.

When the onions are done, remove from oven and turn heat up to 450° or 500°. Put a pizza stone in the oven. Roll out or shape a 12- to 14-inch disk of pizza dough and slide onto a floured pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet. Lightly brush dough with olive oil, leaving a 1/2 -inch border dry. Evenly sprinkle grated mozzarella on the oiled surface, spread the onions over, and top with the rapini and a handful of pitted olives (if on hand or desired). Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil over pizza. Slide pizza onto preheated stone in oven and bake from 5 to 10 minutes, until the crust is brown and crisp. Remove pizza from oven, sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice over it, slice, and serve.

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Asian Style Sauté
adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini

Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a wok or large skillet to moderate heat. Add several cloves chopped garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Remove garlic and set aside. Sauté one to two bunches greens (kale, collards, rapinis, etc.), coarsely chopped. Sauté greens until wilted. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tablespoon rice wine or other mild vinegar, 2 tablspoons tamari or soy sauce, pepper and garlic. Serve immediately as a side dish or with rice.

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