The most basic way I use to cook fresh, mild-tasting greens like watercress
Prep Time5mins
Cook Time10mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Steaming, Wild greens
Equipment
1 gallon sized pot with lid or another pot with tall sides
Ingredients
Fresh wild greensenough to completely fill your pot, about 8 ounces
Salt
Your choice of fat like butterlard, or your favorite oil
Fresh lemon juice or vinegarto taste
Instructions
Wash the greens, looking them over for bugs, debris, leaves, or other foreign objects, then dry them well, preferably in a small salad spinner.
Put a film of water in the bottom of the pot, add the greens—I like to add them until they completely fill the pot--sometimes I add them in batches if I need to feed a lot of people. . Put the lid on the pot, and turn the heat to medium-high and wait a few minutes until the pan gets very hot.
Take the lid off and using tongs, vigorously stir the greens around in a circular motion for moment or two to distribute the heat, then put the lid back on and cook for another minute or two, and repeat until the greens are wilted.
Now taste the greens and judge their tenderness, if they need a little more time, continue cooking, and add a splashes of water if needed to keep it juicy. Keep cooking and tasting the greens--young ones will cook fast, mature leaves could take 15 minutes or more.
When the greens are cooked and taste good to you, turn the heat off. There should be a very small amount of water in the bottom of the pan--drain that off.
Drizzle a little fat of your choice and salt to taste then, mix very well in a circular motion to distribute everything, taste again, adjust as needed, then serve, with lemon or dashes of vinegar if you like.