More ideas for all of our greens - both recipes are adapted from the lovely cookbook writer Paula Wolfert.
The first is a simple but decadent recipe for a Lettuce Mousse from French chef Andre Guillot from Mostly Mediterranean. It serves 4-6 people.
3 lbs Romaine lettuce or 4-5 (!) heads of butter lettuce
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 T unsalted butter
1 cup croutons made from bread fried in butter until golden
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While you do this, core the lettuce, wash it carefully to get all of the dirt off, and shake it dry.
Drop the lettuce into the boiling water, and cook it at a high boil for 5-7 minutes. You may want to do this in a few batches if your pot isn’t so big.
When the lettuce has cooked (it should be soft) drain under cold water in a colander. Once the lettuce is cold, squeeze out as much water as you can, and roll it in a kitchen towel to get it as dry as possible. It’s OK to bruise the lettuce as you do this since you’ll puree it later.
Puree the cream and lettuce in a food mill or processor, and cook this mixture in a large pan until it thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Add the butter, and some salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the mousse into ramekins or small bowls, garnish it with the breadcrumbs, and serve as a fancy appetizer. Or it might be nice accompanied by some roasted sliced turnips and beets in a composed vegetable dinner plate.
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The second recipe is for delicious Chard Dumplings from the book Mediterranean Greens and Grains. It’s a bit more involved but still really tasty. The recipe serves 2-3 people.
3/4 lb chard
1/2 c ricotta cheese
6 T finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
about 3 T flour
salt, pepper and nutmeg
1 T butter
(make the dough a day ahead if you can, sometimes it works better)
Wash and cook the greens with a pinch of salt in boiling water. When they’re soft, drain and chop them very finely and squeeze to remove the excess water. In a large skillet, heat 1 T of butter and fry the greens until glossy but dry. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
If the ricotta isn’t totally smooth run it through a seive. Pour off any liquid. Combine the greens, ricotta, parmigiano, egg and egg yolk, mixing well. Add just enough flour to hold the mixture together, about 3 tablespoons. If the dough is sticky, chill it for a few minutes.
Place a cloth over a baking sheet and sprinkle flour on it. Dust your hands with flour and pinch off tablespoon-sized pieces of dough to form little dumplings. Let the dumplings dry out at room temperature for an hour, or cover them and put them in the refrigerator overnight.
While the dumplings are cooling, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt to the boiling water and slide in half the dumplings. Cook until they rise to the surface, for 1-2 minutes. Let them boil for another 30 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon into warm serving dish. Keep them them warm in the oven and serve with the sauce below or some butter melted until its browned.
Sauce:
5 T unsalted butter
3 T chopped walnuts
4 T chopped tomatoes
2-3 T chopped herbs (parsley, marjoram or dill are nice)
1.5 T finely grated parmigiano-reggiano
Melt the butter and skim off the white milk solids that float to the top. Add the tomatoes, walnuts and herbs to the butter, and fry for a few minutes until the tomatoes just begin to release some juices. Pour this all over the dumplings. Sprinkle some cheese on top and enjoy!
