Italian Greens

Salt Pork ( may also add some small cubes of prosciutto, pancetta, or guancale)

Garlic

Fresh Rosemary ( NOT dried)

Greens: any combination of kale, Swiss chard, spinach, dandelion greens, broccoli raab, turnip greens, radicchio, beet greens, arugula,… pretty much whatever you have. My sister likes to use broccoli and cauliflower florets.

Salt

Pepper

Red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili peppers

Olive oil

1. Trim your greens. Discard stalks of kale, raab, but do use the stalks of chard. Cut them off the greens and dice them.

2. Boil a large pan of salted water. Par- boil your greens one at a time. Times will vary. Spinach – 1 minute. Kale and chard, about 4 or 5 minutes. The others somewhere in between. Chard stalks will be a little longer. The water will be colored when you finish. You can use it for vegetable stock, or even add it to your dogs’ dinner bowl! Lots of nutrition.

3. Once they cool, squeeze out the residual moisture, chop them roughly, and set aside.

4. In a large sauté pan, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Chop your salt pork fine and cook Over med- low heat. You want the fat to melt into the oil. If using pancetta or the others, brown them. Chop about 4 good sized cloves of garlic. Turn down hear to low. Then add them and cook for about 30 seconds. DO NOT LET THEM BROWN. Add greens and 3 good sized sprigs of rosemary. Some like to remove the leaves from the stalk and chop the rosemary. I just throw them in and remove the stalks when the dish is finished. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes/ chili peppers to taste. Cook covered, low heat, for about an hour, stirring occasionally. You will have to add more olive oil. My Nona always said you cannot skimp on the oil in this dish.

Variations: adding toasted pine nuts is delicious. Fried cranberries gives a sweet counterpoint to the salt. I love this in a grinder roll on top of homemade grilled. sausage you could break up sausage in the dish and it’s a one pot dinner.