Mustard Greens, Mushrooms and Yellow Pepper 

Mustard greens have a stronger flavor compared to, let say, spinach and collard greens.  It's described as pungent and bitter with a dominating mustardy flavor.  However, cooked with other vegetables, mustard greens lend a zippy mustard taste that can pick up the flavor of blander vegetables or greens.  Mustard greens are the source of the spicy seeds used to make mustard.

Mustard greens work well with beans, mushrooms, carrots, corn, sweet potatoes and leeks.  Cooked mustard greens mellow and add a hint of spiciness to soups, gumbos, and stews.  It takes well to stir-frying and sauteing with other vegetables.  Adding small amounts of water during cooking helps create enough steam to soften the mustard greens.  Straight up steaming mustard greens only increases their bitter tastes.

• Pick a bunch of mustard greens with uniformly colored green leaves without any yellowed or dry leaves.
• Mustard greens yellow and dry out rather quickly in the frig.  They are best used within 1 or 2 days.
• Wash mustard greens by filling your sink with cold water, then plunging them until free of soil.  Lift greens out of water to a colander, and check bottom of bowl.  If there is any sand or dirt, discard the water and repeat the process.  Strip or cut the leaves from the stalks.  To chop, stack 4 to 5 leaves on top of each other and roll into a fat jelly roll shape.  Using a large sharp knife, slice crosswise into strips.

MUSTARD GREENS, MUSHROOMS and YELLOW PEPPER

• 1 pound mustard greens
• 2 tablespoons oil or bacon drippings
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pint white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small dice
• 1 or 2 sliced pepperoncini peppers, totally optional
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wash greens and strip leaves from stalks. Discard the stalks.  Chop leaves into 1/2-inch strips.  Slice onion, mushrooms, mince garlic cloves and dice yellow pepper.

Using a large skillet or stockpot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms and saute for 10 minutes, until soft and golden.  Add garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Turn heat to medium high, and stir in mustard greens.  Add the water, cover and cook for 4 minutes.  Stir in yellow pepper and pepperoncini peppers, cover and cook 4 more minutes, stirring several times to cook greens evenly.  Season with salt and serve hot.