does anyone here know how to make good turnip greens?

[w8liftinglady]

I LOVE the turnip greens they make at my work,but when I try to duplicate them,they taste bland and tough.What am I doing wrong?

[RushIsRot]

1. Do you cut off the tough stems?

I cut the leaves down the middle and then cross-wise, chop up an onion and add a slice or two of bacon. Cook 'em covered for about 20 minutes or until they're tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

[In_The_Wind]

2. Wash 'em, cover with water, add bacon (or fatback ~ good luck) and

simmer a long time.

The secret is the salted pork meat.

:hi:

[jobycom]

3. Blanch them

First, remove the tough stems. Then put them in a pot of water, bring to a boil, then drain. That makes them less bitter.

I cook them without meat--because i'm vegetarian, but also because I like the flavor of the greens, and bacon covers this flavor. There are two methods I use. The easiest is to just cover them with water (barely enough to cover), add salt, pepper, some type of fat (butter, olive oil, ghee) and simmer for half an hour or longer. Make sure they don't dry out, but don't drown them.

My more favorite way is to cover them with water and simmer for 20 minutes (just water, no fat or spices), then drain again and cook them in a pan with olive oil (or butter or ghee), salt and pepper, for another ten or fifteen minutes, over a medium low heat. They should provide their own moisture, but you can drizzle enough water to prevent them from sticking if it runs dry.

[blogslut]

4. Here's what I do

I clean them and cut off the stems. Then I boil them for about ten minutes in water. Then I drain them and add butter and lemon pepper. Sometimes, I boil them in chicken broth and I suppose vegetable broth would be tasty as well.

[supernova]

5. Southern version I choose younger smaller leaves

so I don't have to do the stem stripping.

But yeah, I'd fry up some bacon or fatback, and then steam the leaves in a (very little) water. Add the bacon and drippings and toss.

Serve at the table w/ vinegar. The brine from any sweet pickles is really good.

I really love greens! :9

[w8liftinglady]

6. Thanks everyone...I wasn't cutting the stems!I'm making some tonight!

[Shakespeare]

7. If you want them to be not-bland, you also need to...

...add some "tang" to them. In the south, that's usually pepper sauce (the vinegar pickling juice in a bottle of pickled peppers). That's what gives them tanginess and heat.