Greens, Beans, and Ham

This week, we received lots of goodies from our CSA, including kohlrabi and rainbow chard.

For the kohlrabi, I cut it up into slices, drizzled some olive oil and lemon juice on it, and seasoned with salt and pepper.  It made a nice appetizer.  We also received the greens from the kohlrabi, which I read could be cooked and served just like any other green (chard, collard, mustard, etc.). So I decided I wanted to make a dish with the chard and kohlrabi greens and one of the things I've been craving lately: ham.  I also wanted to use white (cannellini) beans.  And since it's been about 100˚ here each day, I definitely did not want to turn the oven on.  I looked around online to find a recipe, but nothing quite fit what I wanted.  This one from Closet Cooking is close, but no ham.  Be Localicious Utah had this one, but it involved baking.  Both added tomatoes to the mix, so I decided to throw those in too.  All the other recipes were for some kind of soup, something I wasn't in the mood for.


So I combined ideas from a few recipes, and added my own touches.  What I came up with was pretty tasty!  And the hubby thought so too.

Greens, Beans, and Ham

1 bunch Swiss chard and/or other greens

1 ham steak

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 pinch red pepper flakes (about 1/4 tsp.)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

fresh parsley

lemon juice

• Wash, trim, and chop the greens into strips or pieces.  I did not use the stems, though you could if you cook them a little longer than the leaves.  I also like to spin them in the salad spinner.
• Trim the ham and cut into strips or pieces.
• Melt the butter in a large pan (I used a Dutch oven).  Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and red pepper flakes and saute until they start to soften, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the ham pieces and saute another 3-4 minutes.
• Add the greens and about 1/4 cup of water.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the greens cook down as much as you like.  I found the kohlrabi greens a little tough, so if you're using those, add them first to give them some extra time.
• Add in the can of tomatoes, with the liquid.
• Smash up 1/3 to 1/2 of the beans, then add all (smashed and unsmashed) to the pot.
• Season with fresh parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for another 5-6 minutes to let the flavors blend.
• Serve with pasta or potatoes.

We found the flavors were even better when eating the leftovers the next day, so perhaps cooking even longer to let everything meld together is the way to go.  I served our Greens, Beans, and Ham with rigatoni, which was a little too large.  Next time I'd use a smaller pasta, or serve it over sliced potatoes.  Also, don't hesitate to season with as much or as little red pepper flakes (or other spice) and lemon juice as you like.  Both are great with greens.