Bryant Terry’s Slow-Braised Mustard Greens

The family called her M’dear and when you listen to him describe her kitchen and her garden and her endless wisdom, it will tug on your heart and nourish your soul. Ever the teacher, Bryant reminds people that it’s okay to enjoy Mac and cheese and smothered chicken, but traditional soul food can be healthy AND delicious. The author of cookbooks including Vegan Soul and Vegetable Kingdom, Bryant describes the roots of his culinary and musical journeys in a conversation from his sacred larder in Berkeley, California — a studio space that quite literally provides food for thought

Serving Size 4-6

Ingredients

• Greens

  1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided

  1 pound mustard greens, stems and leaves chopped separately

  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  1 arge clove garlic, minced

  4 cups vegetable stock, homemade or store-bought

• Onions

  3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  3 large yellow onions, sliced into thin rings

  2 teaspoons raw cane sugar

  6 tablespoons tomato paste

  1 tablespoon water

• Garnish

  1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced

  hot-pepper vinegar, homemade or store-bought, for serving

Step 1

FOR THE GREENS:

To prepare the greens, put about 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of the salt, then add the greens and their stems and cook uncovered until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

Warm the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the greens and stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low, cover and simmer until meltingly tender, about 45 minutes.

Step 2

FOR THE ONIONS:

Meanwhile, prepare the onions. Warm the oil in a separate large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sugar, and sauté until deep golden-brown and quite soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and water and cook, stirring often, until the onions are thoroughly coated and hot, about 3 minutes.

Step 3

TO SERVE:

Portion the greens along with some of their liquid into small bowls. Top with the onions, sprinkle with the jalapeño and drizzle some hot pepper vinegar on top.

#MichelesKitchenNotes I’m cooking this up soon… stay tuned ya’ll.