A Green Tart
If you ever find yourself in a state of greens overwhelm, just get out a big pot, splash a little water in the bottom, and throw in all the greens you can. Use just enough water so the bottom of the pot doesn't scorch. What you'll come away with is a much more manageable version of those same greens, and you'll be halfway there on a number of great, simple meals like frittatas and alternative pesto dishes.
Here's another thing you can do with the greens after they've cooked down.
INGREDIENTS
3 bunches of wilted greens
1 or 2 bunches of mint
1 or 2 bunches of basil
three heads of spring garlic, or more
a bunch of green onions, or more
a brick of silken tofu
3 eggs
3 tablespoons buckwheat flour, or the flour of your choice
1 teaspoon sea salt
16 ounces pickled grape leaves, or additional wilted fresh greens plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
PROCESS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Toss the garlic, herbs, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped.
Wilt the greens as described above, and squeeze out any extra water with your hands. Now add the greens to the garlic and herbs, and process them until they're finely chopped, too. Next, add the tofu and eggs and flour. You'll end up with something that looks like cheesecake batter, plus pesto.
Line a pie plate or tart dish with parchment paper and spray it down with oil. Cover the bottom and sides of the dish with grape leaves (or plain blanched greens) as if you were patching together a pie crust out of bits of pastry dough, only your pastry is green.
Fill the grape leaf "crust" with the filling you've just processed in the food processor. Fold overhanging grape leaves back over the filling. If you have any extra grape leaves or plain whole blanched leaves, cover the whole surface of the tart with them. If you're substituting plain blanched leaves, sprinkle some lemon juice over the top of the tart before baking.
Bake for an hour or so, until the filling is set. To serve, invert a dinner plate over the pie dish, and flip the tart over to showcase the pickled grape leaves. You can also serve it as-is, right-side-up.
Serve cold or at room temperature alongside a big leafy salad.