Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish
The inspiration for this vegetarian (also vegan) dish came from a recipe I stumbled upon for Sautéed Chicory and Cannellini Beans. However, since there was no chicory at the market but plenty of curly mustard greens, this recipe is the delicious result.
For those folks who haven’t tried curly mustard greens, they are spicy and peppery when eaten raw. We sometimes had them when I was growing up in the south (usually boiled to death with some pork as flavoring), but as a child I always thought they were bitter. As an adult, I find them to be delicious cooked in the Italian style of this recipe.
Serve as a side dish or as an appetizer on crusty grilled bread which has been rubbed with a cut garlic clove and brushed with olive oil.
- 1 lb. of fresh curly mustard greens
- One 15 oz. can of cannellini beans (or navy beans), drained and
rinsed well - 3 – 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 – 4 cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed and sliced in large pieces
- Pinch of dried red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Bring a stock pot of water to the boil. Wash the mustard greens and remove any really thick stems. Chop the greens, add them to the boiling water and cook for 10 – 15 minutes.
Drain the greens in a colander.
In a skillet, brown the garlic in the olive oil (careful not to burn it) and remove the garlic when done. Add the greens, drained white beans, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper (start with two pinches of each) to the skillet and sauté until heated through — about five minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Optional garnishes:
- hard boiled egg, sliced or chopped fine
- grated Parmesano Reggiano