Braised greens & wild mushrooms

This is a very easy side dish, the hardest part is washing and picking through the greens. Chanterelle mushrooms are in season right now and I have to use them every chance I get, but you can use white button, cremini, oyster, shitaki, etc. You could use dried mushrooms, though I have not tried it; soak them first.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped leeks

Approx. 1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms (I used chanterelles and creminis)

Chard, collards, kale or other greens, washed and chopped, stems removed (I used one very large bunch)

1 cup vegetable stock

Olive oil

Optional: salt, pepper, hot sauce, lemon juice

Sautee the leeks and mushrooms in a little olive oil on medium heat. You can lightly salt the mushrooms to help them release their juices. When the mushrooms have begun to soften, add the greens and stir them in until they begin to wilt. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to add the greens in stages. Add the veggie stock and simmer on medium high heat until the greens are soft and the liquid is mostly absorbed. This will take more time for tougher greens like collards and kale, less for softer greens like chard.

When I use brown or button mushrooms, I love adding a little lemon juice, a bit of extra olive oil, and hot sauce. The chanterelles and shitakis are rich enough that they did not require extra flavoring for my taste.

I could eat greens all day! I serve this with all kinds of dishes, and it was one of our Thanksgiving sides this year too. I used the leftovers with some pasta and leftover turkey to make a lovely quick dinner the other night!