Great to see you again! If you haven't already, please subscribe to my RSS feed, to keep updated on life in the middle of the road or follow me via Networked Blogs by clicking the button in my sidebar! If you are interested in mini-guest posting on A Moderate Life I would love to have you! Please check out my Baby Steps to a Rockin' Life Guidelines. Thanks for visiting!
wild and yummy three greens and bacon
It’s funny sometimes how one thing leads to another. You all know I adore greens much more than chocolate, because they taste so good and are a wonderfully nutrient dense food. You would think, since I love them so much, I would be trying out a ton of recipes and variations, or even trying new types of greens, but that simply hasn’t been the case. Most times, I stick with kale, arugula or swiss chard and either throw it into salads, soups or stews, or I wilt it with some bacon grease. I think I have said many times that the simple things in life are fine with me!
Over the last year though, I have been exposed to a wider horizon when it comes to food and a few of my wonderful bloggie friends are influencing me to go out on a culinary limb and try new things in new ways, and I thank them tremendously for inspiring me!
A few months ago, the lovely Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free posted up a recipe for braised collards with bacon. Now, I have often cooked greens in bacon grease and braised them in the oven in a dutch oven with some stock, but her dish, with the lovely bacon bits on top, caught my eye, and I have been craving it ever since. I mean, if you can cook the greens IN bacon grease which makes them so delicious and ultra nutricious, why not leave some of the bacon IN them? Genius I say, pure and simple!
The other day, Butter of Hunger and Thirst put up an article all about being Wild for Dock. Dock is a perennial weed that grows just about everywhere, and it is an awesome wild green for foraging. I had NO clue about this of course, and having a large contingent of Dock WEEDS in my garden, I had been trying to kill it all off for years by hacking it down to the ground or covering it with leaves or cardboard, but up it would spring, beautiful and green and lush, growing in the worst spots in the garden, filled with rocks and wet, but happily it would multiply and grow bigger and bigger. Oh, how I hated that Dock…until Butter showed me the light. Rebecca of Cauldrons and Crockpots even said that dried Dock root was a great liver tonic for the winter blahs! Who knew?
So, yesterday, as I was raking leaves in the back yard and dancing around to my IPod, I found a big bushy dock plant, as happy and fresh, with many new baby leaves in its base rosette, as if it was the beginning of spring. I had done a bit more research on Dock and while I trusted Butter implicitly I was still a bit fearful of eating a common garden weed. I mean, I ate dandelion greens before, and lambs quarters, and purslane and chickweed, but they had all been fresh greens, thrown in a salad as an afterthought. Really cooking with a foraged plant from my back garden? Really?
Really! I decided for a first try to combine it with greens I already knew and loved, because I was still a little bit chicken. I certainly didn’t need to be!
Three Greens with Bacon
Serves 4
1 Big bunch Kale, trimmed of large stems and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 Big bunch Dock, well washed to remove grit, large stems removed and cut into 2 inch pieces. If you can get some tiny baby leaves these are very tender. The larger the leaf the more pungent and tough.
3-4 Cups Arugula leaves cleaned and left whole
4 Slices of pastured bacon cut into small pieces
1 Cup homemade beef or chicken stock (I used beef stock)
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
In a dutch oven or other large pot with a tight fitting lid cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Turn the heat up slightly and add the heaviest green first, which is kale, and using the back of a spatula, press it down into the hot fat and turn it over to wilt it well. When it has completely wilted, add in the dock and repeat the procedure, and then add in the arugula.
When all the greens are wilted, pour stock over the greens until just covered and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer, covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to check on the fluid level. If it gets too dry, add in a little bit more stock, but do not over do it.
When the kale is tender, turn the heat to medium high and boil off most of the stock. When the stock is cooked down to a very small amount of sauce, toss in the bacon bits and mix well to distribute. Taste the greens and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve hot or allow to cool to room temperature.
These greens came out amazingly well. My husband and daughter, who eat greens sparingly and do so mostly at my insistence both ate them with gusto and my husband said they were the best greens he had ever tasted. The dock has a really wonderful flavor and combines well with the peppery arugula and the earthy kale. I really wish I had doubled this recipe so I could have some more tonight!
I am proud of myself for trying something new, and eating wild greens really did make me feel “wild” for some reason. Glad I followed my heart and listened to my dear friends Amy and Butter because now I have a new favorite way to make greens and a back yard full of them to cook up!
This article is a part of Real Food Wednesdays, My Meatless Mondays, Just Another Meatless Monday and Real food Deals.
A Moderate Life also recommends these posts!
![](\"http://amoderatelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DSC02516-300x225.jpg\") |
![](\"http://amoderatelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/bittmanbutton.jpg\") |
![](\"http://amoderatelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DSC03249-300x225.jpg\") |
![](\"http://amoderatelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Hearth-and-Soul-Badge1.jpg\") |
November 17th, 2010 on 5:29 am
I wish I could say I liked greens more than chocolate…but this is a good way to get me to like greens more.
Belinda @zomppa recently posted..Photo of the Day- Eat Your Colors
Twitter: apriljharris
November 17th, 2010 on 7:49 am
What a lovely way to cook greens! Bacon is really wonderful with green things – I like it with brussel sprouts too. And well done for foraging in your garden, that is wonderful!!
November 17th, 2010 on 7:58 am
This reminds me of foraging for wild onions from the back woods when we were kids. Some how mom always knew when we had done it, and we were always AMAZED that she magically knew.
When you are done harvesting all of your dock, you are MORE than welcome to come over and harvest all of mine.
Now, if we could only come up with a tasty recipe for poison ivy!!
Seriously though, your dish sounds very close to one of my favourite “restaurant treats”. I love braised collard greens. I might just be trying this recipe.
November 17th, 2010 on 12:34 pm
ah, another adventurous spirit when it comes to foraging and eating greens! lol love it!
November 17th, 2010 on 5:08 pm
I am so proud of you!!! I am still too scared to cook weeds, but I have all winter to screw up my courage! I bet this tasted amazing – really anything cooked in bacon grease with a little bit of bacon is delicious! Way to go girlfriend!
Christy recently posted..Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol 23
Twitter: HungerThirst
November 17th, 2010 on 7:03 pm
I am absolutely jumping up and down that you tried the dock. I know that since you are a bit time lover of greens that you will end up using it as much as I do. Not only does it taste fab, but it’s FREE!
But you brought up a good point that I’d like to stress about foraging. Never ever “trust” another when it comes to foraged foods. If someone gets you interested in a particular forage, do your research, get to know it, and be able to identify it on your own. It’s just a good policy, and an extra measure of insurance. Plus, it’ll help you to learn!
November 17th, 2010 on 7:43 pm
Alex, as usual I love your sense of adventure. Do you have a photo of Dock (precooked)? Who knows, I’ve got a small yard, but I do have weeds and the recipe might work well with veggie bacon. Like the idea of a “tonic for the winter blahs”….
November 17th, 2010 on 7:55 pm
I think I saw some dock in our backyard, but I am still not sure. I thought of trying it, but you actually did it! I might love greens **as much as** chocolate…
Patty recently posted..Curried Cauliflower Soup with Seafood and Veggies
November 18th, 2010 on 12:27 am
Alex!! That’s wonderful!!! I agree with Butter– the free-ness of it, I just love it. and it’s so much more nutritious to eat wild plants. I love doing a sautee of dock, mallow, mustard and nettle. And I love picturing you dancing around in your back garden
.
I find that once I’ve ID’d a plant properly, and not died from ingesting it or using it somehow, I am totally comfortable using it. In fact I start to almost recognise it. In the dark, a mile away, it doesn’t matter, it’s like it has a feeling, and once I know it, I know it. Kinda like you’d know if your husband was hugging you even if you were blindfolded
. And it’s good to be cautious. I got cocky for a while at the beginning and ALMOST ate poison hemlock because I thought it was yarrow. Not so cocky since then 
…
And thank you for the link.
Lots of love
xxoxooxo
rebecca recently posted..Prickly Pear Jelly
Twitter: aleasleftovers
November 18th, 2010 on 10:19 am
This sounds wonderful! I actually grow dock on purpose in my garden. It is a perennial, so it is one of the first greens up in the spring. I grow kale, spinach, and chard right through the winter ( even though we get several feet of snow), so we get fresh greens a lot of the year.
Alea recently posted..Thanksgiving Menu and Practically Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Twitter: Amys_SSGF
November 18th, 2010 on 6:22 pm
Your recipe sounds delish! Thanks so much for linking to my post about Collards – they have a special place in my heart because of Helen.
Sending much love!
Amy
Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free recently posted..No Bake Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Twitter: suebuschnz
November 19th, 2010 on 5:35 pm
Alex – I’m so impressed that you were brave enough to forage some dock out of your own back yard – it’s always very empowering and liberating when you try something new and find it works out – even better if it’s something that is free
I have to admit that I’m still a bit scared about the whole foraging thing, especially things like this – I’m pretty sure I would like them, just a bit scared is all. Definitely all for bacon with greens – I often cook brussels sprouts or spinach with bacon – and you know what makes them taste even better (I’m smiling as I write this ‘cos I know you are going to wrinkle your nose) is a couple of anchovies melted into the warm bacon fat before you add the greens – adds a beautiful “salty/savoury” flavour without any fishiness 
Trying that could just be your next new thing.
Hugs
Sue xo
Couscous & Consciousness recently posted..Moroccan Chermoula Fish Kebabs with Couscous
November 21st, 2010 on 6:53 pm
Great job, now that I know about dock I will start foraging also. I’m with butter regarding the learning as you go part. It is more important than most folks know. Thanks.
Melynda@Moms Sunday Cafe recently posted..Sunday Morning Kitchen- Sharing two- cooking from one
Twitter: helladelicious
November 30th, 2010 on 12:59 pm
Wow what a great recipe! I love foraging as well and greens– especially fried with bacon. It is so wonderful how much food is out there right under our noses! I live in a city so I have to be careful where I forage for greens because there are so many dogs around. But when you keep your eyes open it soon is easy to tell where is probably a good place to avoid foraging!
What a beautiful photo, it has gotten my juices going.
hellaD recently posted..A Culture Without Self-Correction