Simple Boiled Greens
Updated Dec. 17, 2024
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 3garlic cloves, peeled and bruised
- 2bunches dinosaur kale (also known as lacinato or Tuscan kale), ends trimmed
- 2tablespoons olive oil or butter
- Flaky sea salt, if needed
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
65 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 2 grams protein; 170 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil with the garlic cloves.
- Step 2
Add the kale and boil, pressing it down with a spoon or plate so it stays submerged, until a leaf taken between your fingers can be crushed to a paste, about 15 minutes.
- Step 3
Drain the kale and the garlic in a colander. Allow it to drip and steam dry completely before placing it on a platter and drizzling with olive oil. Taste and, if needed, add a sprinkle of flaky salt before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I also wondered about 'steam dry'. I found this online; "It means to drain the [kale]and then put it back in the hot pot with no heat so that the rest of the moisture steams out "
As a person on a low salt diet due to a medical condition, you'd think I'd have to starve the way salt is glorified in recipes! I boil my greens (chicory, rabe usually) in delightfully UNsalted water for a few minutes. Then I drain them and saute in olive oil with plenty of garlic and some red pepper flakes. I add lemon to some greens when serving, which is especially wonderful with chicory. It's delicious. Eating great food without salt is possible!
Boiled greens are a staple in Greece. They are boiled in plain salted water without any kind of flavorings and are served dressed with olive oil and lemon for wild dandelion greens( which are the most pricey in the farmer's markets)and other similar cultivated greens and olive oil and wine vinegar for beet greens and chard.In this country my favorite is boiled broccoli rabe ,but also like mustard greens , collard etc.
Has anybody saved the water the greens boil in and used it for stock? Seems a waste to discard
if you throw out the water after boiling greens, you are tossing out lots of nutrients. if you add olive oil to this recipe after you boil, you are not saving any calories by boiling as opposed to sautéing the greens in a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil w garlic and seasoning. when you sauté there is usually already some water in your greens, or you can add it when they are on the stove. and 15 minutes to cook most greens, at least leafy ones, is way to long.
@Blueberrygirl Horta (χόρτα) is a generic term in Greece. Generally speaking, boiled horta can be pretty much any leafy greens, such as chard, dandelion leaves, endive, but the most commonly used are vlita/βλητα (αmaranth) served with olive oil and lemon juice.