TANGLE OF BITTER GREENS

Tangle of Bitter Greens image

Yield serves 4 to 6

Number Of Ingredients 4

2 tablespoons canola oil
3 medium cloves garlic, mashed into a paste (see sidebar)
1 medium bunch kale, collards, turnip greens, or mustard greens (about 1 1/2 pounds), cleaned, tough stems removed and discarded, and leaves very thinly sliced in chiffonade (see page 197)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and slightly damp ribbons of greens; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the greens are bright green and slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
garlic paste
To prepare garlic paste, place the broad side of an unpeeled clove of garlic on a clean work surface and give it a whack with the flat side of a chef's knife. Remove the papery skin and trim away the tough basal plane at the top of the clove. Halve the garlic lengthwise and remove any of the green shoot, if present, as it is bitter. Coarsely chop the garlic, then sprinkle it with coarse salt. (The salt acts as an abrasive and helps chop the garlic.) Then, using the flat side of a chef's knife like an artist's palette knife, press firmly on the garlic, crushing a little at a time. Repeat until the garlic is a fine paste.