Brown-Butter Creamed Winter Greens |
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Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 60 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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Almost every culture has an abiding, elemental hunger for greens, and in the American South, it's common to simmer a variety of them. Hopkins cooks his relatively quickly in a satiny béchamel. The nutty sweetness of the sauce rounds out the natural bitterness of the greens, thus lifting them into the realm of the spectacular. Think of this as a rough-around-the-edges version of creamed spinach, one with real backbone. Ingredients:
3/4 stick unsalted butter, divided |
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour |
2 cups whole milk |
2 tablespoons minced shallot |
1 turkish or 1/2 california bay leaf |
6 black peppercorns |
3 1/2 pounds mixed winter greens such as collards, mustard greens, and kale |
6 ounces slab bacon, any rind discarded and bacon cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch sticks (lardons) |
1 cup finely chopped onion |
1/2 cup heavy cream |
2 garlic cloves, minced |
1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes |
1 tablespoon cider vinegar, or to taste |
Directions:
1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, then add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Add milk in a stream, whisking, then add shallot, bay leaf, and peppercorns and bring to a boil, whisking. Simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Strain béchamel sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, and cover surface with parchment paper.
3. Discard stems and center ribs from greens, then coarsely chop leaves.
4. Cook lardons in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown but not crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then pour off fat from pot and wipe clean.
5. Heat remaining 1/2 stick butter in pot over medium-low heat until browned and fragrant, about 2 minutes, then cook onion, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
6. Increase heat to medium-high, then stir in greens, 1 handful at a time, letting each handful wilt before adding next. Add béchamel, cream, garlic, red-pepper flakes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and boil, uncovered, stirring, until sauce coats greens and greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
7. Stir in lardons, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Cooks' notes: ·Béchamel sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered with parchment. Stir before using.
9. ·Greens can be chopped 1 day ahead and chilled in a large sealed bag.
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