Autumn Greens With Zing...

Southerners think they own greens. They even romanticize collards, saying that first frost imparts a sweetness that removes their natural bitterness. We love a pot of long-simmering, pork-scented mustard, turnips, collards or kale as much as anybody. Yet there's complexity of flavors and techniques to be found throughout the world of greens. Brazilians slice kale into chiffionade, saute it with olive oil and garlic and serve it as an accompaniment to pork-laden feijoada. Italians add greens to hearty full-meal soups and stews. The French bathe spinach in cream and butter, an elegant treatment that suits collards and kale just as well. Just lately, baked kale leaves have been hailed as a healthy answer to potato chips. Bet you can't eat just one! Everywhere you look, American cooks celebrate leafy greens in ways both fresh and old-fashioned. Atlanta's Miller Union serves kale and squash toasts. North Carolina food writer Sheri Castle's "The New Southern Garden Cookbook" devotes an entire chapter to greens, from Melted Tuscan Kale to Creamed Collard and Country Ham Pot Pie with Cornmeal Pastry. In "Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook," Birmingham, Alabama, chef Frank Stitt offers collard green and white bean gratin, a delicious peasant dish that's kinda like a Southern cassoulet. After cooking through a bunch of recipes for this post, we ended up with a big mess of turnips and kale. Using olive oil, bacon, onion, celery, garlic, hot pepper, vinegar and a splash of molasses, we simmered up a basic pot of greens. We dumped in leftover white beans and chopped new potatoes and topped it off with grilled sausage. With a little fooling around, you, too, can create a dish that gives that mama's pot liker a shot of flair.