Walking by, I never glanced their way.
And I am not alone. All too often, we pass them by, our eyes eagerly searching for some arugula or meslun or perhaps some lascinato kale - the frumpy darling of foodies everywhere.
Despite its ruffled loveliness and outstanding nutrition cred, the lowly mustard green sits by in relative obscurity – a wallflower among greens.
This is just plain wrong – and shameful.
How big a shame I didn’t realize until just recently when I picked up a bunch for a salad I was going to try.
After wolfing down a huge plate of this salad (and snitching pieces from the bowl before I served it) all I can say is… “why in the world did I not discover them sooner”?They are tender with a little spicy bite and pair wonderfully with all kinds of greens and will be a regular addition to my salad green repertoire.
It appears I have a lot of catching up to do – and after the Superbowl spread yesterday, a lot to make up for as well – and what better way to start off my road to redemption than with a salad – especially this salad. Mustard greens, lascinato kale (yeah, its a darling for a reason), homemade croutons and a little grated gruyere all glossed with a simple white wine vinaigrette.
Redemption has truly never tasted so good.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit. Anchovy paste can be found in most large grocery stores. If you can't find the paste, just use canned anchovies and mash well with a fork! Refrigerate the extra anchovies. I omitted the garlic from the dressing that coats the croutons since garlic tends to burn. If you want more garlic flavor in the croutons, add a large pinch of garlic powder the the 3 Tbsp. of dressing that you drizzle over the croutons. The croutons and the dressing can be made up to two days in advance. Refrigerate the dressing and store the croutons in an airtight container.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch washed mustard greens, stem and center ribs removed and leaves torn into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, stem and center ribs removed and leaves torn into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup shredded gruyere or parmesan cheese
- 1 baguette cut into 1 inch cubes
- For vinaigrette:
- 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp. anchovy paste
- 5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- To make vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the anchovy paste, white wine vinegar and with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside to make the croutons.
- To make croutons:
- Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a sheet pan lightly with cooking spray. Drizzle 3 Tbsp. of the dressing over the croutons and toss. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then stir the croutons. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the croutons are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
- For the salad:
- Stir the garlic into the vinaigrette. In a large bowl combine the mustard greens and kale. Drizzle 3 Tbsp. of the dressing over. Toss the greens and taste. Add more dressing if needed and season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and the 3 cups of the croutons (you will probably have extra croutons left). Toss again. Divide salad among plates and serve.
Share
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
that white wine vinaigrette will become part of my repertoire! and I never use mustard greens. you may have converted me!
I was hunting for the purple variety of mustard greens at my farmers market this past weekend. No such luck; there wasn’t a mustard green to be had. I’m not sure what back-of-my-mind thought was causing me to look for these greens, because I’ve never used them before. Now I have more reason to do so, but that won’t stop me from getting into that vinaigrette sooner!
This sounds like an intriguing spicier twist on a Caesar salad — I’ll definitely be trying it out!
Yep, I’ll be eating a lot of greens this month! January seemed like a continuation of the holidays for me, but it’s time to get serious. Anchovy paste always amps up the flavors!
I LOVE mustard greens Nancy. I feel like barely anyone cooks with them, so I am thrilled to see a recipe featuring them!. YUM!
Hi Nancy! This salad sounds intriguing. I have never used mustard greens or kale in a salad. But 2012 is the year I’m trying new indgredients! So I’ll be flagging this one. The trick will be getting my Hubby to eat it.
I just didn’t tell mine and he scarfed them down!
This salad looks incredibly refreshing. It would be the perfect light lunch!
I don’t use mustard greens very often, but I think that has to change now;) Love how simple and elegant this salad looks. And homemade croutons are always the best!
Mustard greens are definitely part and parcel of my southern heritage. However, I have never thought about eating them raw! We typically cook them mixed with turnip greens, seasoned with smoked pork and simmered for some time so that they get tender and lose some of their “bite.” I’m most definitely going to try a few in my next salad.
There is snow on the ground here and I am definitely weather-driven when it comes to food, so soup is on the menu. This is making me long for summer!
Snow? Lucky! I’m excited when it gets below 70 here!!!
Sounds delicious. Howard has been making kale salads lately.
Nancy, this kale salad sounds great, love the dressing. Anchovies add such great flavor to sauces and dressings.
I am also guilty of looking the other way when I see mustard greens. This simple salad sounds like the perfect way to highlight their spicy flavor.
I can’t believe it’ taken me this long to truly appreciate them!!
Perfect healthy salad to me! I need to try mustard greens now:-) I am such a lover of homemade croutons! At the cafe that I worked at, their croutons were beyond amazing! YUM! Hugs, Terra
Homemade croutons cannot be beat …. and they are so darn easy! Wonder what the cafe you worked at seasoned them with?
I do not give mustard greens the attention they deserve either, I’m going to make an effort to pick some up the next time I’m shopping now!
I’ve been buying them every week – one of my New Year’s goals…
I love mustard greens, and your salad looks delightful and so refreshing. Like you said, they’re so overlooked and underrated – kind of like cauliflower vs broccoli lol
I couldn’t agree more – so glad to know another mustard green officianado!!
Funny that I shy away from mustard greens but just love mustard. Time for that to change isn’t it. Lovely photo; that helps.
I never had mustard greens raw and am now really wanting a bowl. Fantastic dressing and love the addition of anchovy paste:)
I think living in Europe has made me open to all of the different lixed greens as they are all sold on the market all the time – and we just eat mixed greens salads all the time. I love the homemade croutons and the salad dressing. Maybe I’ll do this for lunch tomorrow!
What a delightful salad…adore all of these types of greens