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Dorset
L E N T Y 
The Vital Ingredi ent
Spring Greens
Healthy, quick to cook and, whisper it quietly, arguably even tastier than
fashionable kale, Tom East salutes this underrated seasonal veg
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espite being absolutely rammed with Vitamin K, plus a
side-order of A and B, it’s a surprise that spring greens have
never had their kale moment. Perhaps it’s because no one ever
bothered to give them a proper name (they’re green and they
come into season in spring = spring greens), but they deserve to
be an Instagram hit like their brassica brother.
For starters, they only take a couple of minutes to shred, and only 60
seconds more to steam to perfection, making them a great, healthy fast
food. Also, when cooked, they’re sweeter than the slightly bitter kale, and
finally – best of all – once cooked you don’t have to squeeze water out of
them from infinity and beyond like you do with spinach.
While greens are perhaps under appreciated in the United Kingdom,
that’s not the case in the rest of the world. Collard greens sound so much
more interesting than spring greens, but they are basically the same, and
they’re one of the stars of a southern soul food feast. Braise them with
ham hock, onions and garlic, and slather in hot sauce and vinegar for a
traditional American treat. Even further south greens are served alongside
the classic Brazilian pork and bean stew feijoada, while you could replace
the Caribbean callaloo with spring greens for a classic Jamaican dish that’s
served with salt fish.
But it’s the Italians who really know what to do with their greens,
whether it’s simply dressing them with olive oil and lemon, serving them
on a pizza, with pasta or in an early spring version of risotto primavera.
Let’s join the Italians and love our greens. They go wonderfully well
with any pork dish or alongside fish and seafood, meaning scallops with
black pudding benefit from a spoonful of spring greens. They’re also great
in soups (try a springtime minestrone), stir-fried with ginger, garlic, chilli,
and cashews, or simply served on toast (see recipe) and in a ham sandwich.
And if you really want them to sing, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes
a genius vegan gratin in his latest book (River Cottage Much More Veg),
where quickly braised spring greens and leeks are doused in his cream
alternative – a blitzed mix of cas