Mixed Greens with Cumin and Paprika

Our CSA share with Riverbound Farm has been a source of vegetable abundance. Almost too abundant. Today's pick-up included radishes, fennel, rainbow chard, lettuce, gorgeous baby beets, peas, spring onions, and a healthy dose of spinach. An embarrassment of Vitamin A riches. However, my vegetable treasure turned into a Rubix's cube when I had to figure out how to fit in all in my modest refrigerator.

That's my fridge, my chocolate almond milk indulgence front and center within easy, immediate grasp; the large jar of my husband's pickled herring relegated to the back. I looked from my fridge to my counter brimming with vegetable matter and back to my fridge.

It wasn't going to work. Something had to give.

My first instinct was to toss the herring. But no, I restrained myself and found other options. The fennel fronds were the first to get chopped off and thrown into the compost heap, leaving those precious (and easy-to-store) bulbs.  Next went the radish leaves, condensing the bunch down to a small bowl of red rubies filled with cold water. Still, I needed more room and I was getting hungry...greens for dinner it is!

I rarely see cooked greens in the Midwest. Down south, of course, you can't go to a bbq shack without getting a big helping of collard greens, but around here, greens are almost exclusively seen in salads or shredded into a cheezy spinach dip appetizer at Applebee's. I rarely see creamed spinach served with steak or kale in any form. I've actually been asked by grocery store clerks and my own mother what to do with kale. It's too bad, because frankly, cooked greens can be really, really tasty.

I chopped the leaves of the beets and washed them in the sink along with a big bunch of rainbow chard. I knew I wanted to cook down the greens, but I needed some tips on how to give them some kick, so I grabbed my quickly-becoming-essential cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, truly an epic work in the culinary vegetable world. I found this simple recipe and cooked down those voluminous greens to a manageable bowlful of simple deliciousness. My friend Jenny came over and we enjoyed it with barley, feta, and Kalamata olives. Not only did we get a lovely meal out of those greens, but this recipe left me with just enough room for leftovers and the rest of my veggies in my tiny happy fridge.

And yes, the herring are still there too. You're welcome, honey.

Mixed Greens with Cumin and Paprika

12 cups mixed greens - kale, chard or beet, broccoli rabe, mustard, etc
Salt
4 large garlic cloves
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 T olive oil
2 t paprika
2 t ground cumin
Olives, lemon wedges and feta for garnish

Discard any inedible parts of the greens, such as kale stems and tough ribs. Set leaves in a steamer - tougher ones on the bottom, the most tender on top - and cook until tender, or boil each type separately in salted water, then drain. Chop into pieces about 1 inch square.

Pound the garlic with 1/2 tsp salt in a mortar until smooth, then work in the parsley and cilantro and pound them briefly to release their flavors.

Warm the oil with the paprika and cumin in a wide skillet over medium heat until they release their fragrances. Don't let them burn. Stir in the garlic, then add the greeens and cook until any extra moisture has evaporated. Taste for salt. Pile into a dish and garnish with olives, lemon and feta.