Saturday morning market, about a quarter to ten.
The sun was out but a cool breeze swept across the bay, crossed the road and gently ruffled the flaps and ropes on the stallholders' tents. We walked up and down and compared produce and prices.
At one of the tents, a Greek guy sells a green he calls vlita. It is not as shiny as silverbeet, nor as deep green as spinach. I find it closer in texture and taste to rabe or some of the Asian greens.
And the bunch is like magic! It goes on forever. Spinach boils down to nothing, silverbeet and rabe less so. But this stuff seems to hold its bulk and yield more from each bunch.
I made a huge pot of it, boiling it with just a cup or so of water and some garlic. You can eat it just like that with lemon or vinegar but I gave it the deluxe treatment with a good dollop of double cream after it had boiled for a short while followed by a shower of salt and pepper and when it was all done it was served in a large bowl with fetta crumbled over the top. A perfect side dish for just about anything, but we had it with grilled fish.
That was only a third of the bunch. The second third of the bunch I turned into a delicious pureed soup with half a pack of frozen green peas, some mashed potato for body, a touch of chilli powder and some yogurt to serve.
What to do with the rest?
The sun was out but a cool breeze swept across the bay, crossed the road and gently ruffled the flaps and ropes on the stallholders' tents. We walked up and down and compared produce and prices.
At one of the tents, a Greek guy sells a green he calls vlita. It is not as shiny as silverbeet, nor as deep green as spinach. I find it closer in texture and taste to rabe or some of the Asian greens.
And the bunch is like magic! It goes on forever. Spinach boils down to nothing, silverbeet and rabe less so. But this stuff seems to hold its bulk and yield more from each bunch.
I made a huge pot of it, boiling it with just a cup or so of water and some garlic. You can eat it just like that with lemon or vinegar but I gave it the deluxe treatment with a good dollop of double cream after it had boiled for a short while followed by a shower of salt and pepper and when it was all done it was served in a large bowl with fetta crumbled over the top. A perfect side dish for just about anything, but we had it with grilled fish.
That was only a third of the bunch. The second third of the bunch I turned into a delicious pureed soup with half a pack of frozen green peas, some mashed potato for body, a touch of chilli powder and some yogurt to serve.
What to do with the rest?
Slice some leeks into rounds and gently saute in a little olive oil with some garlic. Add the GG's (greek greens) and cook till wilted. Remove from heat.
ReplyDeleteCrumble in some fetta, ricotta or parmesan - or all three. Give a good crack of black pepper, and some chilli flakes or nutmeg if it takes your fancy.
Layer between multiple sheets of filo pastry. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with something funky for decoration. Bung it in the oven till golden brown - and voila, Spanakopita.
Alternatively GG's freeze extremely well when cooked (as in your first batch with the water / olive oil). My greek neighbour gifts me with garbage bags full of the stuff, so I cook it all down and place into ziplock bags for use later. It is a great addition to minestrone soup, or even to fry simply with olive oil, garlic, breadcrumbs and parmesan (as a side).
Stir fry spinach with finely chopped garlic, sesame oil, shitake mushrooms, water chestnuts. Remove excess liquid by squishing against a sieve.
ReplyDeletePut 1 teaspoon into wonton skins, wrap and either boil, steam or pan fry.
Thanks, TAP and Sue - great ideas. I'll be using them both.
ReplyDelete