We decided this year to subscribe to a CSA box, which means that every week we get a beautiful selection of seasonal produce delivered to our apartment. That's the upside. The downside, if you can call it that, is that we have an incredible bounty of hearty, good-for-you greens. Collards, three varieties of kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, carrot tops, radish greens, chard in tons of vibrant colors--the sheer variety has forced us to become sneaky and inventive with how we incorporate these greens into our dinners.
We've gotten really good at steaming tough greens to soften them up before treating them like spinach, hiding them in everything from enchiladas to macaroni and cheese to pancakes. This recipe might be one of our best methods of hiding healthy greens yet, just for its sheer audacity: if you have too many collards and you think they're too tough, steam them in a heavy lidded pot until they're tender, chop them tiny, and then drown them in rich, tangy, creamy, cheesy heaven.
This also works with turnip greens, and it would also work with chard, kale, or mustard greens--anything that you'd cook for an hour with bacon fat. Serve with your favorite crunchy dipper for a game day or happy hour snack you'll keep coming back to. And maybe you, like us, will also learn to look forward to the weeks where you have more greens than will fit in your crisper.
The Recipe
1/4 onion, minced
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Large pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 large bunch sturdy greens (collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc etc)
1 can artichokes, drained and chopped roughly
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 c yogurt
1/3 c mayonnaise
1/2 c mozzarella (pizza blend), plus more for topping
1/4 c finely grated (microplane) Parmesan
3-4 tbsp panko
Bring 1inch of water to boil in a large pot.
Strip the collards from their stems
Mince the onions and shallot and place in a nonstick skillet with butter over medium heat. Season with a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.
When the water is boiling, add collards and cover. Steam about 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary
Add garlic to pan with shallots and onion and cook a minute longer. Remove from heat
Remove collards from pot and cool under running water. Squeeze water out and chop roughly.
Add collards, artichokes, and the rest of the ingredients except bread crumbs to pan with onions. Place over heat and warm until bubbling.
Transfer to a 9 inch pie tin and top with bread crumbs and a handful of reserved mozzarella. Broil on low for 8 minutes, until brown and crisp on top, and serve immediately.
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