Spring greens
"In the early months of the year spring greens come along, cabbages that have failed to develop a heart. Heartlessness is never a desirable quality, but they will pass too." Jane Grigson
"While heartless, these greens are far from soulless, having a rich but sweet flavour and a relatively tender texture."
Mark Diacono - River Cottage A-Z
No not the green vegetables of spring, specifically something called spring greens that we used to eat in England. I can't remember now why I started to think about these, suffice to say that I did. And since I know that we have nothing here that we call spring greens - other than as a generic term for green vegetables that come in spring - I wondered what on earth I had been eating all those years ago in England. Was it in fact something else - mustard greens or collards for example? But no, I'm not actually in my dotage quite yet, they are an actual plant.
Well all those things like cabbage, kale, mustard greens, broccoli rape, etc. are really all versions of the same botanical thing - brassica oleracea but this particular variety is, according to Mark Diacono,:
"a loose term for a loose and lovely vegetable - essentially a less than fully mature cabbage."
or more like the mustard greens that I mentioned. More leafy somehow than cabbagey.
Anyway, whatever they actually looked like, we used to have them quite a lot. They were cheap I seem to remember.
As to cooking them it seems simplest is best.
"Most of the time I treat their sweet gentle nuttiness very simply, just rolling the leaves into a 'cigar' and finely shredding them before steaming or boiling for just a few minutes until tender. A little salt, pepper and butter are all that's needed to ready them for whatever main course needs a little green side." Mark Diacon - River Cottage A-Z
Jamie Oliver's Simple lemony spring greens was typical of what there was. And the lemon was something that cropped up time and time again. As in Nigel Slater's Spring greens and lemon soup.
The other thing that cropped up a few times was wild garlic - the leaves of. Now I don't think you can get that here either, although maybe you can. Mark Diacono says
"That affinity between greens and gentle wild garlic is something to exploit in a delicious side dish - just stir wild garlic leaves into steamed or boiled shredded greens and the heat will wilt them deliciously."
The English delicious magazine offered Wilted spring greens with wild garlic and Mark Diacono gives us a pasta dish that also includes wild garlic -
"Finely slice a rasher or two of bacon and fry until lightly browned, before adding a handful of shredded spring greens and a finely chopped garlic clove and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add a splash of cream and/or wild garlic, along with salt and pepper and serve with spaghetti."
And again, only in Britain it seems do they have something called 'crispy seaweed' which is actually more likely to be deep fried spring greens. You blanch your shredded greens in water, drain and pat dry, and then deep fry, or drizzle with oil and bake in the oven. Then you sprinkle them with whatever spicy things take your fancy. I've certainly seen that done with kale here. So maybe here we have turned to the Italians rather than the British.
Anyway I now know what spring greens - the British ones - are, although I still have my doubts that this is what we used to eat as children. Sister dear over to you!
