Hot Stuff

Enlarge Image Image Gallery

Recipes

Harvest Salad
Horseradish and Mustard Mashed Potatoes
Braised Greens and Scallops
Mustard Greens with Mustard Seeds 

In the South, great stewpots of mixed greens and ham hocks simmer for hours to render the traditional mess o’ greens and green gumbo. The roots of these dishes go deep; during the Civil War, displaced people gathered mustard greens, the tops of the same wild plants that yield mustard seed, along with what­ever else they could find growing wild to ­sustain them. Following the war, farmers welcomed mustard greens as a crop that was productive and easy to grow and that could be canned for winter use.

Today, mustard greens are making their way into gourmet restaurants and cookbooks as chefs strive to meet the demands of a clientele eager for healthy, flavorful, locally grown produce. The rounded, dark leaves of ‘Osaka purple’ and ‘Tendergreen’ mustard spinach add interest and mild flavor to salads. Mizuna, with long, dark green leaves and a mild cabbage flavor, is readily available, often found in natural foods stores.

Vivid masses of cooked greens make a stunning bed for stir-fries, grains, and grilled or sautéed meat, fish, and poultry. They also give soups and stews a lively presence. Bright green, dark green, and purple-tinged young leaves add visual and flavor interest to the Provençal salad mixes known as mesclun.

Mustard greens are rich in antioxidants, calcium, and folate, all of which contribute to good health. High in fiber, mustard greens are low in ­calories and fat and considerably lower in sodium than other greens such as chard.

Mustard greens can transform ordinary foods into gourmet fare. Toss shredded tender greens with cold pasta, prosciutto, tomatoes, and your favorite dressing. Wrap whole leaves, tortilla style, around stir-fried pork, bean sprouts, mint, and cilantro. Add fresh, chopped greens to mayonnaise or sour cream, or to nonfat yogurt and chives on baked potatoes. They make a tangy substitute for lettuce in sandwiches, and the flowers make a beautiful garnish.