To Boil Green Vegetables
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove withered leaves from the greens and cut the stalk twice across.
For young cabbages, cut them in half and tie the upper part together with string.
Pour boiling water over the greens to draw out insects.
If not fresh, soak them in cold water before cooking.
Cook
In a large saucepan, bring plenty of boiling water to a boil and add salt and sugar.
Cook gently after reaching boiling point for better tenderness.
Skim the water regularly and test for tenderness with a skewer.
Once tender, strain immediately to prevent them from absorbing water.
Press them dry in a colander.
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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