Last month, while on a book tour in New York, I ate a sandwich that moved me to utter profanities. It was unusual behaviour from me, and more so because the sandwich in question was packed with an excessive amount of spring greens, but then, that is the genius of Brooks Headley, chef/owner of Superiority Burger: like Midas, he has an ability to turn the ordinary into gold. Here, I’ve tried to recreate it by cooking down a kilo of spring greens until they are melting, soft, collapsed and buttery, before tossing them with sharp cheddar. It’s pure picnic gold.
Spring greens and cheddar picnic focaccia
You don’t have to have this on a picnic, but it really does work well, plus you can make the greens in advance and refrigerate them, provided you give them time to come up to room temperature afterwards. Buy the best focaccia you can find, or make your own – I make a 20cm x 30cm one like this (minus the garlic).
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 6
1kg baby spring greens
80g unsalted dairy butter
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp fine sea salt
100g mature cheddar, grated – I like Tickler
Focaccia, to serve (homemade or bought in)
Wash the greens, shake off the excess water, then cut off the ends and compost them or save for soup – as a general guide, I cut away any stalks that are thicker than the base of my little finger. Shred the leaves into 3cm- to 4cm-wide strips.
Put half the butter and half the oil in each of two large, deep frying pans and put them on a medium heat. When the butter has melted and started to foam, distribute the leaves and salt between the two pans and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, until the greens have given up all hope of freshness and turned forest-black, glossy and soft. Tip all the leaves into one of the pans, toss through the grated cheese, then take off the heat.
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Slice open the focaccia horizontally, then evenly pile the greens on the bottom half. Slap the lid on top and compress. If you like a bit of theatre, tightly wrap the focaccia in foil, pop it in a bread tin and pack with a large bread knife; once on location, turn out and slice with panache. Or, more sensibly, slice into portions before you leave and wrap individually.