The mustard family is a big one, and its fold includes scores of common weeds and such vegetables as cabbage, broccoli and turnips.
 
In addition to supplying seeds for cooking, pickling, oil production and condiment-making, these plants sport flavorful leaves that are utilized around the world in cuisines as diverse as Chinese, Indian, African and Eastern European, among others.
 
They’re popular in the cooking of the Southern United States, as well as rating high on the charts as a favorite soul food green, second only to collards.
 
A cool weather crop, these cut-and-come-again plantings provide greens for home gardeners from at least November through April, with last-of-harvest reaping occurring now, as the weather warms.
 
Like many spring garden staples, a touch of frost makes them sweeter.
 
Not surprisingly – considering the pungency of the seeds – mustard greens are full of flavor. They add a touch of peppery interest to dishes made with them, and are sometimes mixed with less piquant greens to balance their spiciness.
 
Mustard originated in the Himalayan region of India and has been cultivated for consumption for more than 5,000 years.
 
As to their history as a soul food, they became an important food staple among African slaves in the southern United States as a substitute for the greens that were utilized in their native land.
 
Today’s southerners still love their greens, including those of the mustard plant, and cooking up a “mess o’ greens” remains an integral part of their cuisine, often with a ham hock, slab of bacon, or other smoked pork product flavoring the pot.
 
Mustard greens may be sautéed with nearly any protein, vegetable, or grain of your choosing, and go especially well with sweet veggies like carrots or sweet potatoes.
 
They cook more quickly than their cousins, collards and kale.
 
In Asia, including in China and Japan, mustard greens are most often stir-fried or pickled. They use a wide variety of mustard cultivars in their cuisine.
 
Southeast Asians make a stew of mustard greens with tamarind, dried chiles, and leftover meat on the bone from a previous meal.
 
Mustard greens are immensely popular in Nepal, India, and Pakistan, where they’re stewed with spices. One variety with a particularly thick stem is used to make pickles.
 
Mustard greens in their young, tender state make a nice addition added raw to salads or as an alternative to lettuce on a sandwich. They may also be tossed with pasta dishes.
 
If these peppery greens are too spicy for your taste, tame them by blanching in salted water for a minute prior to other preparations.
 
The stems of the mustard plant are tough, so I recommend removing them prior to cooking the greens. (An exception to this is if they’ll be stewed for a long period of time, in which case the stems may be kept intact.)
 
An easy way to do this is to fold the greens in half lengthwise and cut along the folded edge to remove the stem.
 
Most mustard greens are a bright emerald color, though some may be a greenish-purple hue.
 
The broad leaves may be flat or crumpled, with smooth, toothed, frilled, or lacy edges, depending on the cultivar type. They have a pungent, mustardy scent.
 
Though their season is ending, many supermarkets carry them year-round. Look for crisp, tender leaves with a rich green color and avoid yellow, flabby or pitted leaves and thick, fibrous stems.
 
Unwashed greens may be stored in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to a week if tightly wrapped.
 
Since the leaves tend to hold sand and dirt, be sure to wash them well before using.
 
Do this in the same way you’d typically wash spinach, by swirling leaves in a large bowl of cool water to allow grit to dislodge and fall to the bottom. Rinse thoroughly afterwards.
 
Like others in the brassica family, of which they’re a member, mustard greens are immensely nutritious.
 
These powerhouse plants contain a veritable storehouse of vitamins and minerals – more than twenty of them – including vitamins K (over 500 percent of our daily requirement in a cup), A (more than 177 percent), C (59 percent) and a number of B vitamins.
 
In addition, scientific studies have shown them to be cholesterol lowering, supportive of cardiovascular health, protective against cancer, anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants and detoxifying.
 
As to today’s recipe, I found many creative ways to prepare this saucy green, including with chipotle and bacon, blended with bulgur, Indian style with jalapeños and ginger, and even on toast with egg and Hollandaise sauce.
 
The one that intrigues me the most is the one I’ll share: African peanut soup with mustard greens. I cannot resist; the flavor combinations are right up my alley, and the soup can be thrown together in a matter of minutes once ingredients are prepped.
 
I hope you enjoy it, too, whether with chicken or as a vegetarian offering.
 
And before I go, I thought I’d share a southern nickname for the broth left in the pot after cooking greens: potlikker.
 
It’s immensely flavorful (not to mention full of rich nutrients), and is typically sopped up and enjoyed with a piece of warm cornbread.
 
Now that’s a tradition I’d like to sink my teeth into!
 
African peanut soup with mustard greens

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
½ cup diced carrot
½ cup diced celery
½ to 1 tablespoon chili powder, to taste
1 teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (optional)
One 14 ½ ounce can diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
½ cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky, as desired
¼ cup dry instant couscous
4 cups stemmed and chopped mustard greens
Chopped peanuts and chopped scallions for garnish
 
Heat oil in a stock pot. Add onion and sauté until transparent.
 
Add carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Cook about four minutes, stirring often.
 
Add broth, chicken (if using), tomatoes and greens. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes.
 
Stir in the peanut butter and couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and allow to sit for five minutes.
 
Garnish each serving with peanuts and scallions.
 
Recipe adapted from www.food.com .

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .