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To Boil Green Vegetables

A method for boiling greens, using salt and sugar, to remove insects and tenderize them.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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To Boil Green Vegetables

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Remove withered leaves from the greens.

  2. Cut the stalk twice across.

  3. Cut young cabbages in half.

  4. Tie the upper part together with string.

  5. Pour boiling water over the greens to draw out insects.

  6. If not fresh, soak them in cold water for a while before cooking.

Boil and drain

  1. Place the greens in a large saucepan with boiling water, salt, and sugar.

  2. Cook gently after reaching boiling point for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on freshness.

  3. Skim the water regularly.

  4. Test for tenderness with a skewer.

  5. Once tender, strain immediately to prevent them from absorbing water.

  6. Press the greens dry in a colander.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Greens
Are the main vegetable; cooking softens their fibrous leaves and stalks until tender.
Salt
Seasons the cooking water so the greens take on flavour as they boil.

The step that matters

Strain immediately once tender. Greens left in the hot water keep cooking and soak up liquid, which dilutes flavour and turns them soggy. Draining at once preserves texture and taste.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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