Readers of The Bitten Word cooked every recipe in the September 2013 Bon Appetit magazine. Here's their take on Sauteed Greens with Olives.
Andrea: This was an easy dish made more interesting by the olives which added a nice pungency and the slight heat of the crushed red pepper. I had a heavy hand with the lemon juice and it was a bit too acidic--I'd go with just a squeeze or 2 next time.
Siobhan: I used fresh olives, but next time I might try canned instead or more garlic- the lemon and olive flavors overwhelmed the dish for me. That said, my test-subject/ best friend loved it and we were both impressed with how fancy and time consuming it looked, since it only took a few minutes to make.
Peg: Lemon and olives give this dish a fresh taste with the added red pepper at end giving it that final zip. Liked that it was still crunchy vs totally wilted. Enjoyed the toastier garlic flavor mixed in. Had all of the ingredients and added extra red pepper and lemon at the end. Deelish.
Hana: Since this is basically already my go-to way of cooking greens (except the olives, which were an excellent addition), it's no surprise that I liked this a lot. I used kale and chard and I made two slight modifications: I added whole fennel seeds at the same time as the red pepper flakes, and I served it over pasta to make a main dish.
Sam: I cooked spring greens and romaine lettuce in this simple but satisfying recipe which is already my preferred cooking technique. The addition of olives (where I substituted green for black) added further savoury flavour and texture. I hadn't cooked lettuce like this before, the romaine texture held up surprisingly well with the garlic, chilli and lemon creating a delicious warm dressing.
Ayanna: First, let me say that simple ingredients prepared well can make for amazing results! Having said that, at first look, I didn't have high hopes for the Sauteed Greens and Olives recipe. It just seemed a little unexciting, but after considering the vast options available for 'greens' I decided to have a little fun with it! I decided to use kale and beet greens. Beet greens were a new ingredient for me, but because I wanted to do something a little unique and because they looked good at the market, I went with them. The kale was a no brainer, it's my go to green of choice! The preparation for this dish is quick and easy, and the addition of lemon juice and red pepper adds that 'something extra' that makes these greens special. The recipe allows for a lot of flexibility on several of the ingredients to suite your tastes. It makes for a really nice side dish and the options are endless on the combinations of different greens you can use. I served them with a steak... I would definitely make this recipe again!
Irina: This is a delightful simple dish, quick to make. It's delicious and bright with a multitude of green shades. Lemon and olives are the superstars making all flavors sing. Adding it to my recipes binder.
Get the Sauteed Greens with Olives recipe at Bon Appétit
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