Mustard greens 101

Mustard greens 101

Mustard greens, a relative of the cabbage family, are a staple of the cuisine of the American South. They’re also popular throughout South Asia. They’re leafy, peppery-tasting and relatively quick-cooking — and they’re full of both vitamin C and folate. They’re also where the seeds you see in whole-grain mustard come from, incidentally.

When you’re buying mustard greens, look for green- to bronze-colored leaves, with no major discoloration, limpness or strong smell. Keep them unwashed in your fridge for up to five days or so.

Before cooking, cut out and discard the stems, then wash well, in several changes of cold water; their frilly leaves have a tendency to harbor grit. You’ll want about two bunches as a side dish for four people; they’re mostly made up of water, and will shrink down as they cook.

To cook them, you can either blanch them in a pot of boiling water for a minute or so to remove the stronger flavors, or simply saut them in butter or oil until wilted. Longer cooking, like you’d do with collard greens, works for them, too. Their spiciness makes them a great match for sweeter foods like sweet potatoes, or try them with mellower Indian spices to balance out their fire.

XFor more information, visit www.foodnetwork.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.