Late summer garden

In my garden there are rows of bitter greens that we planted from seeds we brought back from our trip to Italy last spring. There is puntarella (my husband’s favourite), curly endive and chicory. I also planted some red chili peppers from seeds we purchased in Italy. There is also beautiful arugula that is as peppery as it is bitter. These greens all like the cool temperatures and are all thriving right now. Even my basil is green and happy, despite the single digit overnight lows we are having. These bitter greens make a delicious salad when mixed with other leaves, but my favourite way to eat them is cooked. Done this way they pair well with meat dishes or stirred into pasta. I will toss it with some canned beans or add some frozen peas or edamame for another tasty side. My heads are smaller than store bought and they will shrink a lot when cooked. I wish I could preserve them to enjoy in the winter, but other than kimchi I can’t think of how, so I am eating them up now.

Braised bitter greens

2 heads curly endive2 heads chicory

4 ounces double smoked bacon, diced

1 cup sliced shallots

1 red cayenne pepper, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch arugula, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs thyme or rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the endive and chicory for two minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water. Drain again, squeeze out any excess water, coarsely chop and set aside. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add bacon. Cook, stirring often until bacon is just starting to crisp up. Add shallots and cook a few minutes until soft then stir in red pepper and garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add arugula and cook for a few minutes until wilted. Stir in reserved greens, thyme and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover with lid and cook for five minutes. Uncover and cook for another 3-5 minutes until all liquid has evaporated. Taste and season again if needed and then sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 4-6 servings.