Greens and Beans

The big man loves bitter greens -- collards, mustard, beet, kale -- so I keep on the lookout for new ways to serve them. The greens in our backyard garden are still a little young, but the farmer's market this week had nice silver chard and leafy beets. James won't eat beets but I love them so they get double duty around our house -- greens for His Highness and a salad treat for me.

For this Italian style (Italians love greens too) vegetarian dinner I sautéed onions, carrots, and red peppers from our garden in a bit of olive oil until soft, added a few cloves of garlic, crushed red peppers, S&P, and then a small jar of our home grown, home canned tomatoes and let simmer until thick -- about 10 minutes. Then I added 1 bunch of chard (tops only -- I saved the stems for soup) and a bunch of beet greens, coarsely chopped, and let cook until just wilted --stirred in 2 drained cans of Cannellini beans, covered and let simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes.

While the stew cooked I stirred a cup of white grits (South Carolina Polenta) into boiling water and allowed to simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender and thick -- about 25 minutes. I stirred in a couple knobs of butter, a good dose of parmesan cheese, plenty of black pepper, and cubed mozzarella (not traditional but delicious), allowed it all to melt together, and served topped with the greens and bean stew, a bit of olive oil, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. James went back for seconds.