Author Notes: This is similar to a Moroccan appetizer that is made normally with a green called “Bakoula”. I like to use beets in salads, and I save the green leaves for this dish. It reminds me of my grandmother — may God rest her soul. —Silly Apron
Food52 Review: One always needs more ways to consume beet greens. Same goes for preserved lemons. Silly apron’s recipe provides both, tied together with a bit of smoky paprika. Most of all, we love that it can easily transition from side dish to main course with the addition of some rice and a fried egg. —The Editors
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients
-
3
bunches beet greens, red stems removed
-
2
tablespoons olive oil for cooking
-
1/4
teaspoon cumin
-
1/4
teaspoon paprika
-
1
pinch salt (no more)
-
1/4
piece preserved lemon
-
1
tablespoon good olive oil
-
1
pinch crushed pepper flakes (or chili powder, or paprika if you don’t like spice)
-
2
pieces cloves of garlic grated
-
1
tablespoon chopped cilantro
-
1
tablespoon chopped parsley
Directions
- Wash the greens well and leave them in a bowl full of cold clean water.
- Gently heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan. When it is just warm, add the grated garlic, cumin, and paprika. If the oil is too, hot they will fry and burn. What we want is just a little reaction to the heat.
- Immediately remove the greens from the water, without draining. Place them on a chopping board, and chop them coarsely, then add them to the pan. Turn the heat to medium and give everything one good stir to coat the greens with the spices.
- Cover tightly, and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. You might want to check on it once before the end to make sure it doesn’t burn. If you’re worried it will burn, just add a little water.
- Meanwhile, take a quarter of a preserved lemon (do not wash it), and cut it into 1/4-inch cubes. Set aside a couple for decoration. Uncover the cooking pan and add the preserved lemon cubes and the chopped cilantro and parsley. Stir everything together. Cover and let it cook for 5 more minutes, then remove from the heat.
- When serving, drizzle about one tablespoon of a good olive oil over the greens. Garnish with the preserved lemon cubes you reserved, and sprinkle on the chili pepper powder.
- This goes so well with a fried egg. It is usually eaten with bread. Bon Appètit!
1 of 2
Photo by James Ransom
2 of 2