Greek-Style Braised Greens with Tomatoes and Paprika

Ingrédients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 large bunch (about 1 pound) lacinato kale OR curly kale OR Swiss chard, stems chopped, leaves roughly chopped, reserved separately

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

14½-ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand OR 2 ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley OR mint OR dill OR a combination

2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, to serve

Optional garnish: Crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, kale stems and ½ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika and cayenne; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes with juices, ½ cup water and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium-low and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and formed a thick sauce, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the kale leaves. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

The Greek dish called tsigarelli served as inspiration for this flavorful way with greens. Wild edible plants are used in traditional tsigarelli, but we opt for kale (either curly or lacinato—also called Tuscan or dinosaur—kale) or Swiss chard. In most recipes, kale stems are discarded, but for this, we chop them and sauté them with a sliced onion to give the dish more substance. Tomatoes, garlic, paprika, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil bring bold Mediterranean flavor to the mix. Serve as a side dish or make it a vegetarian main with orzo or polenta alongside.