Garlicky Greens

Greens are part of every winter garden in the south... or at least they should be.

The problem is, I can't ever tell them apart.

Mustards? Collards?  Turnips?  I don't know, but they look like this:

Please feel free to identify, if you're able.  I'll be impressed and grateful.

(Oh, and to learn more about all this green stuff in the dirt, check out my husband's blog -  he's responsible for the growing side of things).

Or, up close, my greens looked like this...

After deciding identification was a waste of time (Hey, we grew them, so I was going to cook them, no matter what)... I removed the tough ribs from the greens.

I put 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet.  I heated them until the butter was melted.  I added 1 tablespoon diced garlic.  Or it might have been two.  I love garlic.

  Then I added the greens, one handful at a time.

I stirred them until they began to wilt.

When they were all wilted, I added 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/3 cup water.  Also, a little kosher salt and black pepper. I might have thrown in a splash or two of beer.  That might have been the accidental result of dancing with a wriggling baby while cooking and drinking said beer.

 Then I put a lid on them and cooked for about 15 minutes - until the fish was ready.  I also added 1 pinch brown sugar, and 2 dashes Tabasco, while my 4 year old wasn't looking.

The greens had the perfect mix of peppery, sour, bitter, salty sweetness (yes, I realize that's a lot of contrasting flavors).  But trust me, they were yummy.  Both kids ate them, which is a good indicator. At this point, my husband eats almost anything, so he's not allowed to judge.

I served the greens with grilled red snapper.

To grill the snapper, mix 1/4 cup olive oil, some Kosher salt, and the juice of 1 lemon in a gallon zipper bag.  Add 2 fish fillets (this was 1.5 lbs total, according to the scale at the super market).  Marinate for 20 minutes or so (not too long or else the lemon juice will start to cook the fish).

Heat your grill until it's about 400 degrees.  Cook, skin side down, until the fish flakes, about 10-15 minutes for an 1-2 inch thick fillets.  I put red pepper on one, for Michael and me.  My four year old has learned about eating things with "red specks."  Hence the need to sneak the Tabasco into the greens.

I squeezed a little more fresh lemon juice over the fillets before serving with the greens.

OH, and in the interest of full disclosure, I made this meal last Friday.  Last night, when I wrote this blog, this is what we had for dinner.  And it was good.