SPINACH
Taste: Mildly bitter and earthy
Best in: A wide variety of salads and entrées. Be sure to wash thoroughly-spinach, especially more mature leaves, likes to hang onto grit.
Smart substitutions: For cooked dishes, Swiss chard, beet greens, kale, turnip greens, escarole; arugula in salads
Recipes:
Autumn Apple and Spinach Salad
Creamed-Spinach Gratin
Hearty Beef, Pasta, and Spinach Minestrone
SWISS CHARD
Taste: Chard is in the same family as beet, so you may detect some beetlike flavor in the ribs. The leaves taste more like intensely flavored spinach.
Best in: Swiss Chard's hearty leaves are excellent added to cooked dishes such as casseroles, stews, and lasagnas.
Smart substitutions: Beet greens or spinach
Recipes:
Spicy Swiss Chard with Lemon
Swiss Chard Spanakopita Casserole
Ziti with Chard
TURNIP GREENS
Taste: Cooked, they're pleasantly pungent and bitter
Best in: Braises, stews, and sautés. Remove the tough central rib before cooking. Cooks often use a mix of turnip greens and milder greens like spinach or collards to soften the bitter flavor. Avoid cooking turnip greens in an aluminum pot or pan, which can give them an off flavor.
Smart substitutions: mustard greens, collards, kale, Swiss chard, spinach
Recipes:
Turnip Greens
Sicilian-Style Greens over Polenta
Turnip Green and Shiitake Mushroom Calzone with Smoked Cheddar
WATERCRESS
Flavor: Peppery, with a touch of mustard (it's a member of the mustard family)
Best in: Salads, and as a garnish
Smart substitution: Arugula
Recipes:
Broccoli, Orange, and Watercress Salad
Citrus Salad with Shrimp and Watercress
Roasted Potatoes with Tangy Watercress Sauce
