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Food

Photos: Long-simmered greens

Today's darling salad green has always been one of the best cooking greens. The flavor mellows nicely; the texture is tender. Befitting its star status, there is a variety of kale available today, and the darkest tend to be the best flavored.

Today’s darling salad green has always been one of the best cooking greens. The flavor mellows nicely; the texture is tender. Befitting its star status, there is a variety of kale available today, and the darkest tend to be the best flavored.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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When the weather turns damp and chilly, when a surfeit of holiday festivities has you feeling spent and lethargic, there is nothing like a pot of long-simmered greens to warm you and fill your empty spaces.

Quesadillas stuffed with greens and feta

Kale, mustard greens, collard greens or all three can be stuffed in fried corn tortillas along with cheese for this recipe.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Collard greens

A Southern specialty, collards have a mild flavor, but the thick leaves have a rich, meaty texture when cooked.  (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)

Mustard greens

Wonderfully peppery, mustard greens have strong flavor but a delicate texture.  (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)

Pot herb soup

Use mustard greens in this soup, simmering them with potatoes until they’re tender, then finishing the recipe with tender greens such as spinach or arugula.  (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)

Red swiss chard

Slightly bitter when raw, the sweet, earthy side of chard comes out with cooking. Red chard has a touch of beet flavor. It’s equally prized for its stalks and greens, which are usually cooked separately.  (Brand X Pictures / Getty Images)

Swiss chard with golden raisins and lemon bread crumbs

Swiss chard with golden raisins and lemon bread crumbs  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Dandelion greens

The bitterest of the greens, with cooking it remains assertive but turns more earthy and nutty.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Beet greens

Beet greens along with turnip greens are tender leaves that taste like milder versions of the roots.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Greens with spicy lemon-cumin oil

Make an aromatic oil by warming olive oil with cumin seeds, red pepper and lemon zest. Add this a teaspoon or so at a time to braising mixed greens so they absorb the flavor slowly.  (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)

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