ESCAROLE
Taste: Like its relative, Belgian endive, it's slightly bitter
Best in: Young, tender leaves are good in raw salads. Because escarole is more delicate than other hearty greens, it doesn't require long cooking-nice if you want supper on the table in a hurry.
Smart substitutions: mustard greens, arugula, or spinach
Recipes:
Escarole Soup with Ginger and Cilantro
Escarole with Bacon and White Beans
Escarole Salad with Melons and Crispy Prosciutto
KALE
Taste: Earthy and cabbage-y, like other cruciferous vegetables
Best in: Kales sturdy leaves are excellent sautéed and added to casseroles.
Smart substitutions: collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens, or spinach
All-star nutrient: Vitamin A
Body benefit: Vision health
Hard to believe how soft and silky this crinkly, supercrisp leaf turns when cooked. One cup offers more than a day's worth of A (481mcg), nearly double the amount in most other greens.
Recipes:
Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider
Dijon Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Kale
Spinach and Kale Turnovers
MESCLUN
Taste: Mildly tangy
Best in: A mixture of baby greens, mesclun is good in raw salads.
Smart substitutions: Arugula, romaine, and spinach.
Recipes:
Grilled Chicken Breasts on Mesclun
Mesclun and Romaine Salad with Warm Parmesan Toasts
Mesclun with Grilled Onion, Apple, and Gruyére Cheese
MUSTARD GREENS
Taste: Spicy and peppery; the smaller the leaves, the sharper and hotter the taste
Best in: Stir-fries or sautés. To tone down mustard greens' assertiveness, blanch the leaves in salted water before incorporating them in a recipe.
Smart substitutions: Escarole, kale, Swiss chard, or spinach
Recipes:
Warm Salad of Mustard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas
Winter Greens and Potato Casserole
Greens-and-Cheese Pie (Hortopita)
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