Italian Greens

We could all use a few more vegetables and luckily the Italians have the answer. Keep it simple, focus on a couple ingredients and cook them carefully.

Serve as a side dish or do it like the Italians and eat as an antipasti all on its own. This recipes seems obvious and hardly warrants being written down.  

But I’m assuming you, like me, have forgotten just how good vegetables can be after eating all those Christmas cookies and rich meals. This is the time of year to remember. Many different greens and herbs can be substituted, just ensure that tougher greens are cooked longer.

Italian Greens

From jamie’s italy by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• good quality Italian extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 bunch swiss chard (I used rainbow chard) cut into ribbons, stalks removed and chopped
• 1 head radicchio, shredded
• 2 TBSP chopped parsley
• Fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt

Method:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic cloves and cook just until they begin to take on color.
2. Add chard stems and saute 2-3 minutes. Add remaining chard and cook until leaves begin to wilt and cook down, 5-7 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and combine with radicchio and parsley while still warm. Add salt, olive oil and lemon juice to dress the greens. I used the juice from 1/2 a lemon and approximately twice as much olive oil as lemon juice.