Our favourite ways with winter greens

Green beans

Green beans benefit from a ‘less is more’ approach, so you want to cook them very quickly, on a high heat. The more traditional way is to blanch them for a minute or two in salted water, before dunking them into ice-cold water to prevent them from overcooking. Sautéing them, where you cook them in a little olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat, stirring often until they’re bright green but still crisp, is another great way of cooking them. Our favourite way, however, has to be the tempura method, where you toss them in a light tempura mixture and fry them for a few minutes. The result is a perfectly cooked bean encased in a delicately crisp batter.

Broad beans

Broad beans might require a little more preparation than other green veg, but they’re well worth it. If you’re buying beans in the pod, simply pop open the outer skin to reveal a fluffy inner, which is where the actual bean is. You’re not quite done here, though, as the bean is covered by another skin that is bitter and unpleasant to eat. This skin can be a little tough, so you might need to tear it gently to release the bean. This may sound fiddly, but you’ll find once you get into a rhythm, it becomes somewhat therapeutic – trust us. After that, you’re finally ready to cook your broad beans, which also only calls for a few minutes of cooking. Similar to green beans, you can either blanch broad beans for two minutes in salted water, or you can gently sauté them in olive oil or butter.

Peas

You might be most familiar with the frozen or tinned kind, which require little more than heating up, but when you see how easy it is to cook fresh peas (and how noticeably delicious they are), you’ll be a convert. Simply blanch them for a minute or two in well-salted water, and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Baby leeks

Don’t let the name trick you, baby leeks aren’t just young versions of their regular namesakes, they are their own separate vegetable. Their preparation method isn’t that much different, however, and you can use them the same way you would regular leeks. Give them a quick rinse and check over for any bits of dirt, and then you’re ready to cook. You can roast them whole, add them to a soup, or even – as their delicate flavour means they can be eaten raw – finely slice them and pop them into a salad.

Now you’re armed with all the knowledge you’d ever need for cooking winter greens, here are our favourite recipes using them.

If you’re constantly fighting to get the family to eat more green veggies, this is the recipe you need. No one can resist crispy tempura, and the texture of the green beans works exceptionally well with this cooking method – you’ll have them fighting over these!

Ingredients:

• Woolworths Tempura Flour 200 g
• 1 cup ice-cold water
• Green beans 400 g
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• Garlic mayonnaise, to serve

Method:

1. Place 200 g Woolworths Tempura Flour in a bowl with 1 cup ice-cold water, then stir until smooth.
2. Dip 400 g green beans into the batter until coated, then deep-fry in batches in 2 cups of hot vegetable oil for a couple of minutes, drain on kitchen paper towel and serve hot with garlic mayonnaise to dip.

Here, leeks and peas work together in perfect harmony to create a substantial, yet light, pasta dish.

Ingredients:

• Butter 125 g
• 2 baby leeks, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 t onion salt
• ½ t white pepper
• Frozen or fresh peas 200 g
• Fresh tagliatelle 400 g, cooked al dente
• Pecorino 100 g, grated, for serving
• Herb salad, for serving

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat, add the leeks and cook until soft. Add the garlic, onion salt, pepper and peas. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Gently mash the peas in the pan using a potato masher. Toss in the pasta and cheese. Serve with a herb salad dressed in lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

A celebration of the entire allium family, this soup is a delicate broth that doesn’t skimp on flavour. If you want to, you can skip making the frittata and serve some crusty, olive oil-fried bread on the side.

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 4 large onions, sliced
• Leeks 300 g, trimmed, washed and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 large sprigs thyme
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 litre good-quality chicken stock
• A handful parsley, chopped
• For the ricotta frittata:
• Butter 50 g
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 T thyme leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 free range eggs
• ¼ cup cream
• 2 large potatoes, peeled, parboiled and thinly sliced
• 1 tub ricotta 250 g
• ½ cup Gruyère, grated 

Method:

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan until foaming. Add the onions, leeks, garlic and thyme, then season and stir until well coated.
2. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially with a lid and cook slowly, without letting the onions colour, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes. Add the parsley and serve with the ricotta frittata.
4. To make the ricotta frittata, heat the butter and oil in an ovenproof pan. Add the onions, garlic and thyme and sauté for 8 minutes over a low heat or until soft and sweet. Season well, remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Whisk together the eggs and cream and season. Layer half the potatoes into the bottom of the pan and top with half the onions and half the ricotta.
6. Pour over half the egg mixture and top with the remaining potatoes, onions and ricotta. Sprinkle with the Gruyère and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until set underneath. Finish under the grill until golden brown and cooked through. Cut into wedges and serve with the soup.

Peas, mange tout, sugar snap peas and hand-shelled peas add texture and a pop of bright green to this easy but scrumptious lamb stew. Serve with lemon wedges and baby potatoes.

Ingredients:

• For the marinade, mix:
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3 T olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1-2 T parsley, chopped
• 1-2 T dill, chopped
• For the rest:
• Free range lamb knuckles 750 g – 1 kg
• Olive oil, for greasing
• 2 cups lamb or chicken stock
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 400 g mix of trimmed mange tout, sugar snap peas and fresh hand-shelled peas
• Fresh mint 10 g, plus extra to garnish
• Lemon wedges, for serving
• Steamed baby potatoes, for serving

Method:

1. Marinate the knuckles in the fridge overnight or all day. Preheat the oven to 160° C and grease a suitable casserole. Add the marinated knuckles with enough stock to barely cover the meat. Bring to a simmer on the stovetop.
2. Cover with a sheet of baking paper and a tight-fitting lid. Bake for 11/2 hours, or until meltingly tender.
3. Remove the meat from the casserole using a slotted spoon and set aside. Blend the liquid until smooth then reduce over a high heat until slightly thickened. Check the seasoning.
4. Return the meat to the casserole and mix with the reduced sauce. Cover and reheat when needed.
5. Steam the peas for 5 minutes or until just tender.
6. To serve, turn the lamb out onto a platter. Top with the steamed peas and mint, garnishing with more mint if you like. Serve with lemon wedges and hot, steamed baby potatoes.

This makes for a great side salad to grilled fish or chicken, or a light main all on its own. Swap out the greens for whatever you have available – peas and broad beans would both work well here.

Ingredients:

• 12 baby beetroot with stems and leaves, rinsed well
• 2 T olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Fine green beans 300 g
• Sugar snap peas 200 g
• Asparagus tips 100 g
• Rocket, for serving
• Mint, for serving
• A squeeze lemon juice
• Sea salt, to taste

 Method:

1. Place the beetroot on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 180° C for 45 minutes, or until tender. Allow to cool then break into pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Remove the garlic and set aside.
3. Add the greens and sauté for 5 minutes until cooked, but still crunchy. Remove from the pan and mix with the garlic.
4. Mix the greens with the rocket and mint, then arrange on a platter with the beetroot. Drizzle with lemon juice and season to taste.

This is the ultimate anytime meal, serve it for brunch or a quick dinner. The combination of flavours here is also quite open to tweaking, meaning no one would be mad if you scattered some peas into the omelette before cooking.

Ingredients:

• 4 large leeks (or 8 baby leeks), sliced
• 3 garlic cloves
• Butter 50 g (plus extra for cooking)
• ¾ cup cream (plus 2 T)
• 3 free range eggs
• Olive oil, a drizzle
• Woolworths Hot-smoked Trout with dill & pepper, to serve
• Avocado, to serve
• Parmesan, to serve

Method:

1. To make the leeks, caramelise the sliced leeks and garlic in the butter. Add the cream, season and simmer to reduce.
2. Separate the eggs. Mix the extra 2 T cream with the egg yolks and beat to combine. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form then carefully fold into the egg yolks.
3. Pour into a non-stick pan with 2 T melted butter and a drizzle of oil, and cook for 3 minutes until puffy. (You may need to cook with the lid on or place your ovenproof pan under the grill until the top of the omelette is golden.) Serve immediately, topped with the creamy leeks, Woolworths Hot-smoked Trout with dill & pepper, avocado and parmesan.

SHOP WINTER GREENS