Side of Greens with Crispy Garlic from OTK: Extra Good Things
"Serve with a side of greens” is a serving suggestion we’ve often repeated in Ottolenghi book history, and so this dish is the “side of greens” you can easily add to your weeknight dinners
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This recipe for a side of greens with crispy garlic comes from OTK: Extra Good Things, the latest cookbook from the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen team lead by Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad. You can read more about the Test Kitchen and the book in our conversation with the co-authors.
Side of Greens with Crispy Garlic from OTK: Extra Good Things
Excerpted with permission from “Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things” Copyright © 2022 by Yotam Ottolenghi LLP. Photographs copyright © 2022 by Elena Heatherwick. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.”
“Serve with a side of greens” is a serving suggestion we’ve often repeated in Ottolenghi book history, and so this dish is the “side of greens” you can easily add to your weeknight dinners: tasty enough on its own, but humble enough to not take away from the main event. Feel free to swap out the chard for other leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or cabbage.
Ingredients
For greens
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 red onions, peeled, halved, and cut into ½-inch thick slices
- 1 tbsp sumac, plus ½ tsp to serve
- 1 lb 10 oz rainbow chard, stalks cut into 1¼-inch to 1½-inch lengths, leaves very roughly torn in half
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup dill leaves
- salt and black pepper
For crispy garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Preparation
1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes, or until softened and browned. Turn the heat down to medium if they get too dark too quickly. Stir in the 1 tablespoon of sumac and transfer the onions to a bowl.
2. Return the pan to mediumhigh heat along with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the chard stalks and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until starting to soften and lightly color. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Now stir in the chard leaves, a third at a time, along with ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and cook for another 6–7 minutes, or until wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the lemon juice and all the sumac onions.
3. Meanwhile, make the crispy garlic. Put the oil and the sliced garlic into a small frying pan and place it on medium heat. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the garlic starts to turn golden and crispy. Drain in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving the garlic and its oil separately. Add the raisins to the warm garlic oil and set aside. When cool, stir in the dill.
4. Transfer the chard mixture to a large platter with a lip and spoon on the remaining lemon juice. Top with the raisin mixture and sprinkle with the crispy garlic and extra sumac.
Note: Double up on the crispy garlic chips and keep them in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Save the oil you fry it in and keep it in a jar on your shelffor up to 2 weeks. The versatility of crispy garlic knows no bounds. Sprinkle it on the confit leeks with puy lentils and leek cream (p. 90) or the slow-cooked zucchini (p. 126).