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1
Strip the stems from the chard and set them aside for another use.
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2
Chop the leaves coarsely and swish them around in a sinkful of cool water to remove all sand and grit.
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3
Fish them out of the water and let them drain in a colander for a minute or two.
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4
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat.
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5
Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and toss them into the pan.
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6
Cook, shaking the pan, until golden, about 2 minutes.
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7
Carefully stir in as many of the leaveswith the water that clings to themas will fit comfortably into the pan.
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8
Cook, stirring, until the leaves begin to wilt.
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9
Continue adding more chard, a handful at a time, until all the chard is in the pan.
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10
Season lightly with salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper.
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11
Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is tender, about 8 minutes.
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12
If all the liquid in the pan evaporates and the greens begin to stick to the pan, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of water over them.
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13
Check the seasoning, add red pepper and salt if necessary, and serve immediately
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14
Prepare any of these greens as described below and substitute them for the chard in the above recipe.
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15
Note that the longer a vegetable needs to cook to become tender, the more likely it is that the liquid in the pan will evaporate.
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16
Keep an eye on the greens; if they begin to stick, sprinkle a little water over them from time to time.
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17
Spinach: If you like, leave the stems on tender, young, or flat-leaf spinach, but remove the stems from tougher, thick, curly spinach leaves.
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18
Wash the leaves in a sinkful of cold water, swishing them around to remove the sand and grit, then letting them float a minute or two to give the dirt a chance to settle to the bottom of the sink.
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19
Lift the leaves from the sink with your hands or a large wire skimmer into a colander to drain.
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20
Two 10-ounce cellophane bags of spinach, or three large bunches of leaf spinach, will yield about 1 pound spinach leaves when cleaned.
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21
Savoy or White Cabbage: Cut a small (about 2-pound) head of white or savoy cabbage in half.
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22
Keep one half for another use, and cut out the core from the second half.
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23
Pull off any wilted or discolored leaves and cut the cabbage in 1-inch squares.
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24
Separate the layers of cabbage so they cook more evenly.
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25
Broccoli Rabe: Clean the broccoli rabe as described in the recipe for Broccoli Rabe with Oil and Garlic on page 325.
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26
One hefty bunch of broccoli rabe will yield about 1 pound of stems and leaves.
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27
Kale: Clean the kale as described in the recipe for Braised Kale with Bacon (below).
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28
Two medium bunches of kale will yield about 1 pound of leaves.
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29
Escarole: Remove any wilted or discolored outer leaves from a small (about 1 1/2-pound) head of escarole.
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30
Cut the head in half through the core, then cut out the core.
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31
Cut the leaves crosswise into 2-inch strips.
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32
Wash the escarole in plenty of cold water, swishing the leaves gently to remove all sand and grit, then drain in a colander.
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33
Proceed as in the above recipe.
