Recipe: Cooked Greens with Garlic and Vinegar

Swiss Chard "Bright Lights' cooked with garlic and dressed with a splash of vinegar

Recipe: Cooked Greens with Garlic and Vinegar
Recipe by Victoria Challancin
Serves 4.

This is more of a cooking technique rather than a recipe. My mother always cooked fresh greens, freshly picked from my father's garden, with some sort of pork. This is my slightly more modern, slightly less delicious compromise. You can use this technique for any time of greens such as kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, spinach, chard, beet greens, or collard greens, but the cooking time may vary.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced or finely chopped
2 bunches organic Swiss chard (I like red and yellow “Bright
Lights”)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
A good splash of hot pepper vinegar or cider vinegar

Chop the stems of the chard and set aside. Slice the leaves into thick ribbons. Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan. Add the garlic and cook until almost golden. Add the stems and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chard leaves, with any rinse water that is still clinging to the leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir to coat with oil. Cook for two minutes, stirring frequently. Cover, lower heat, and cook until cooked to desired consistency. For chard, a few minutes is all that is needed. For sturdier greens, add a little water and cook until soft. Check and adjust seasoning. Season with a splash of vinegar mixed in (or serve separately at the table).