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To Boil Green Vegetables

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

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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To Boil Green Vegetables

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Remove withered leaves from the greens and cut the stalk twice across.

  2. For young cabbages, cut them in half and tie the upper part together with string.

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

  4. If not fresh, soak them in cold water before cooking.

Cook

  1. In a large saucepan, bring plenty of boiling water to a boil and add salt and sugar.

  2. Cook gently after reaching boiling point for better tenderness.

  3. Skim the water regularly and test for tenderness with a skewer.

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

  5. Press them 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
Form the main body of the dish, becoming tender and soft when boiled.
Salt
Seasons the cooking water so the greens take on flavour.
Sugar
Adds a slight sweetness that balances the bitterness of the greens.

The step that matters

Strain immediately once tender. Greens keep cooking from residual heat and continue to absorb water as they sit, so they can turn soggy and waterlogged. Draining them promptly keeps their texture and flavour intact.

“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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