Greens with Beans and Sausage

There are a lot of greens in your box this week! Chard, arugula, spinach and even those tender turnip greens. There are lots of ways to use greens, but everyone should master their own technique of serving them as a side dish all by themselves. Tender greens like arugula and turnip greens are easy -- they can simply be sautéed for a few minutes in a bit of water (even just the wash water left on the leaves) or in a bit of cooking sake, light soy sauce, and/or a bit of light vinegar. After they are cooked, you can dress with a bit of olive oil and salt. I like to cook my greens with a minimum amount of water so that they aren't too soft. But everyone should experiment with the method that suits you best. Bigger greens like collards and chard should be washed thoroughly. You can remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your hand and stripping the leaves off of the stem. The tender young leaves don't need to be stripped. You can use the stems in various recipes (just cook a bit longer), or in vegetable broth. A fun way to chop the greens is to stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll them up and slice them into 1/2 to 1-inch thick slices.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, or other sausage, sliced

1 bunch green garlic, sliced thin

1 bunch of greens, center thick rib removed, leaves roughly chopped

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups of white beans, cooked rinsed and drained

Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and turn the heat to high. Cook until the garlic is soft. 

Add the greens, sprinkle with salt, then add the chicken or vegetable stock. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover, mix everything well (the greens will have cooked down) and add the beans. Cover the pot again and lower the heat to low. Cook another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then serve.

dinner, side