Vitamin A, Calcium, Vitamin C and Iron, antioxidants, even a healthy dose of protein. This little leaf is a powerhouse of nutrition. If you can’t get to the Kleer-vu Lunchroom in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to sample the best turnip greens in town, you can easily cook up a pot at home. I love the taste of them when they’re done this way–
Ingredients for 1 pound of turnip greens (makes 2-3 servings). For every pound, I use
- 1 teaspoon bacon fat, or good pork lard **
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon molasses
- 3/4 teaspoon chicken base (a concentrated chicken stock. “Better than Bouillon” is the brand I like)
Now, scoop the greens out of the water and set them aside, with water still clinging to the leaves. Don’t dump them into a colander, the sand has settled to the bottom of the bowl, and you’ll just end up with sand all over your greens again. Pour the water out of the bowl, rinse the sand away, then return the greens to the bowl, with water still clinging to them.
** I don’t always shun bacon grease and pork fat. I’m not afraid of anything that’s honestly food. A little fat (and 1 teaspoon divided between three servings really is a very little bit!) goes a long way in boosting flavor. Lard doesn’t scare me nearly as much as Polyricinoleic acid, added to manufactured chocolate bars, and propylene glycol, added to manufactured salad dressings.
It’s a pleasure to eat your greens when they taste this good!
The problem with blogging about food, is it makes me hungry. But I don’t have to feel guilty about going back in the kitchen to whip up another pot of turnip greens right now. At 75 calories per cup (and that includes the fat & molasses), I can indulge my craving for turnip greens.