Kick the Pills, Take a Dose of the Greens

There's nothing that exudes nutritional virtue like a pile of your favorite green veggies. The greener, the better, as the bright color of a vegetable usually indicates how resplendent it is with goodness. Although the freshness of most local produce is waning in the Northeast, we can take solace in the fact that many winter greens-kale, brussels sprouts, and broccoli rabe, for example- benefit from a healthy dose of frost, which at last seems eminent. Indeed, as a cheery sign behind the weathered-looking globe artichokes at Whole Foods says, "Slightly battered, frost-burnt exteriors promise a vibrant flavor within."

A bushy bunch of kale or mustard greens can appear unwieldy, though. Unlike pre-washed, pre-packed spinach­-whose reputation has been rightly marred by the recent E. coli scandal-it demands a good wash and a bit of trimming. These sorts of greens, particularly if bought at a farmer's market, possess an unrivaled pungency that makes them well worth the effort. Loaded with Vitamin K (1 cup has over 700 percent of your recommended daily value), Swiss chard and its collard-green relatives are considered unappetizing "health-foods"-a true statement for those that are merely steamed. Although steaming is widely considered the best way to cook a vegetable without depleting its vitamin content, greens are so vitamin-rich that a short boil or saute seems a reasonable means of rendering them less tough and thus more palatable. The sensation of chewing a wad of under-cooked kale is a sure-fire turn-off to this healthy food group.

As food writer Patience Gray writes in Honey from a Weed, "Mediterranean people value 'bitterness' in weeds, as once did all European peoples." Gray discovered the Mediterranean penchant for weeds while living on the Greek island of Naxos. Greens, and the wild weeds that Gray is particularly interested in, are strong-tasting by nature. This is what makes them an ideal foil for rich foods such as pork or wild salmon-and lends them their tonic quality that seems pertinent in this time of New Year's detoxifying resolutions. Gray recommends boiling weeds such as dandelion until tender and anointing them simply with olive oil and lemon or a few drops of vinegar. An alternative method she suggests is sauteing boiled greens in either olive oil with slivered garlic and red pepper flakes or rendered pork fat. Although greens prepared in this way are delicious, Gray insists that "the real importance of weeds is that they help you to maintain good health." And healthy they are indeed-one cup of kale has as much as 200 percent of your recommended daily Vitamin A, while artichokes are rich in antioxidants, magnesium, and Vitamin C. Here are two recipes that should make eating your vegetables a significantly less unappetizing task.

Simple Rainbow Chard

Inspired by Patience Gray's

Honey from a Weed

(Serves 2-4)

Olive oil

Lemon

Big bunch of rainbow chard

Wash and roughly chop chard. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil, then throw in the chard. Boil for 3-5 minutes until tender, then drain, squeezing out excess water. Finally, dress with olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice, and eat hot.

Orecchiette with Greens

(Serves 4-6)

1 box orecchiette (De Cecco is good)

1 clove garlic, sliced

A dash of hot red pepper flakes

Grated pecorino cheese

Olive oil

Big bunch of washed greens such as

broccoli rabe or dinosaur kale

Boil the greens in salted water until tender. Remove, very roughly chop, and set aside. Then, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook until al dente. Then, heat some olive oil in a pan, and add the garlic and hot pepper. Saute over a low flame for a minute or two, and then add the greens. When the pasta is cooked, add it to the greens with 1?4 cup of the cooking water. Stir to incorporate over low heat. Add some of the pecorino. Serve in warm bowls with more pecorino, freshly grated, on top.