Glorious GREENS.

They're not just good for you. Today's leafy greens taste great, too.

Just saying the word "greens" reminds me of family dinners when I was a child. My mother's tinny canned spinach is etched permanently in my taste bud memory bank.

Last August my husband planted a fall garden with lots of--you guessed it--arugula, kale, chard, escarole, and mustard greens. "You need it for the calcium," he said with his typical sincerity. And despite my memory, I succumbed to finding new ways to use them.

"Eat more greens" is an often-repeated prescription from dietitians these days--and for good reason Greens are so rich in the vitamins and mineral that most people are often missing. They are an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamins.

Antioxidants, researchers have discovered, play a role in reducing cancer, heart disease, and certain eye diseases of the elderly. Greens are also an excellent source of iron, calcium, and many other minerals.

Greens are all very similar to cook (though some are more delicate and require less time, such as arugula and spinach). They will steam or saute in three to five minutes and should be added to soups the last 10-15 minutes of cooking.

It's no wonder the memory of my mother's spinach still haunts me. The style of recipes in her day read something like "boil until soggy and cover with cream sauce." The recipes that follow prove that overcooked is out and light and scrumptious is in.

Beautiful varieties of greens are making a comeback. Most have been around for a long time but haven't been grown in recent years. Others are recent imports from other cultures. Some are almost too pretty to eat.

Try this frittata with a combination of two different greens--one mild and one more spicy, such as chard and mustard greens or beet greens and arugula. It has a sensational flavor and is low in fat.

Frittata With Garden Greens

1 T. olive oil
1/2 small red onion, finely
  chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups garden greens, such
  as chard, beet greens,
  collards, or spinach
  (rinsed well and finely
  chopped)
4 eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 t. dry basil
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese cup
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 [degrees] F. Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the chopped greens; cover and steam just until greens have wilted (about 3 minutes). (The water left on the greens from washing should be enough moisture.) Set aside to cool.

Beat eggs lightly with basil and nutmeg. Stir in the cheeses and streamed greens. Spray a nine-inch round or square cake pan with non-stick vegetable spray or rub with a small amount of oil. Pour frittata into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until firm in the center. Allow to rest a few minutes before cutting. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 6-8 servings.

Arugula is sometimes called rocket (roquette). If it is not available locally, substitute spinach, escarole, or other piquant greens. This pizza can be made in the oven or on a grill.

Grilled Garlic and Arugula Pizza

2 T. extra virgin olive oil or
  nonstick olive oil spray
  coating
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 cups arugula or a mixture of
  arugula, spinach, and/or
  escarole
1 10-inch-thick crust Italian
  bread shell (such as
  Boboli) or a round loaf of
  sourdough bread with
  the top cut off, leaving a
  one-inch-thick circle
1/2 cup crumbled feta
  cheese

Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat at a medium-high temperature. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and greens, tossing gently about 4 minutes or until greens are wilted.

Preheat the grill to medium-high or the oven to 375 [degrees] F. Brush pizza crust with oil. Grill 2-3 minutes on each side. Place the pizza crust on a pizza pan made for the grill, a cookie sheet, or aluminum foil. Add the sauteed vegetables and cheese to the pizza crust. Grill or bake until heated through--about 8-10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Spinach is still the number one favorite green in America. This flavorful salad will please even the most persnickety of greens eaters.

Warm Spinach and Basil Salad

4 cups fresh spinach leaves,
  chopped or torn
2 cups inner leaves romaine
  lettuce, chopped or torn
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 T. lemon juice
  salt (to taste)
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan
cheese

Wash and dry the spinach, lettuce, and basil. Toss together in a large salad bowl.

Just before serving, heat the oil in a small skillet on medium high. Add the garlic and pine nuts and saute until the nuts begin to brown slightly. Add lemon juice just to warm. Season to taste with salt. Toss the spinach, lettuce, and basil with the warm dressing and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Makes a nice accompaniment to soup or as a first course. Makes 4-6 servings.

Simply Great Greens

2 cups cooked rice
2 T. olive oil
3/4 cup finely-diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 pound mushrooms, washed
  and sliced
6 cups packed beet greens
  and kale, stems removed
  and finely chopped (or
  substitute chard)
2 T. water
1-2 T. lemon juice
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped, bottled
  roasted red peppers

Prepare rice in a saucepan or a rice cooker.

Using a large skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven, heat oil at medium temperature. Add onion and garlic; saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, greens, and water; cover, and turn heat to low. Steam greens for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add lemon juice, soy sauce, red peppers, and rice. Simmer an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring to combine. Makes 4-6 servings.

Mediterranean Lentil and Greens Soup

1 1/2 cups lentils
8 cups vegetable stock
2 medium potatoes 2 bunches greens
  (about 11/2 pounds);
  choose a combination
  of chard, beet greens,
  kale, or collards
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 T. olive oil or butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  or 1 teaspoon ground
  coriander
4 cloves garlic, chopped or
  minced
1 t. salt
3/4 t. cumin
4-6 T. lemon juice

Rinse lentils and drain. Add lentils and stock to an 8-quart stockpot or Dutch oven. Wash potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes; add to the lentils. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 30-40 minutes.

Wash greens thoroughly and chop fine. Set aside.

Over medium heat, saute onion in oil. Add the coriander and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add the sauteed onion and greens to the soup and continue simmering for 15 minutes more or until lentils are tender and greens are crunchy to the bite. The last few minutes of cooking add the salt, cumin, and lemon juice. Garnish soup with lemon slices, a sprig of cilantro, or a dollop of yogurt. Makes 6-8 servings.

Name       Flavor Characteristics    Uses

Arugula    Long oak-leaf shaped      Add to soups, pasta sauces;
           leaves; pungent,          use as a substitute for
           sweet and tangy;          spinach. A great addition
           distinct mustard-like     to milder greens in a salad.
           aftertaste.               Use within two days.

Beet       Earthy-flavored; not      Use in combination with
Greens     bitter has overtones      other greens in soups
           of the beet root.         or stir-frys.

Collards   Full-bodied flavor,       Best if blanched first
           earthy .Best texture      to reduce bitterness;
           when young.               braise and add to soups
                                     or stir-frys.

Escarole   Medium spicy; crisp,      Use in combination with
Curly      light texture. Mizuma     mild-tasting lettuces in
Endive     is the most peppery of    fresh salads or cook in
Frisee,    them.                     soups or stir-frys.
Mizuma

Kale       Greenish blue-gray        Needs longer cooking time
           leaves; holds texture     tenderize. Good in soups,
           well when cooked.         stir-fry recipes; steamed
           Earthy, neutral flavor    in combination with more
           (somewhat bittersweet).   piquant  greens.

Mustard    Pungent, mustard-like     Combine with
           flavor. Light green       milder-flavored greens;
           in color. The most        use in young tender
           spicy of the greens.      leaves for salads or
                                     cooked in soups and
                                     stir-frys.

Spinach    Sharp, oxalic flavor.     Steam, braise, or use
           Delicate leaf texture.    raw in salads. Harmonizes
                                     with many other foods.

Swiss      Both chards are mild      Steam or braise alone
Chard      in flavor. Red-stemmed    or in combination with
(Green     rhubarb chard is          stronger-flavored greens.
or         slightly sweeter.         Young leaves may be
Rhubarb                              added to salads.
Chard)

Patti Bess writes about food from Grass Valley, California. She is also the author of Vegetarian Barbecue, published by Lowell House.3