Winter Greens with Curry Oil

Here’s a recipe for winter greens, dressed with a warming, but subtle, curry oil. You can also use curry oil for sauteed fish and scallops. You can drizzle it on vegetables, vegetable purees or soups, and use in salad dressings. The recipe is easily doubled, and the oil keeps for several weeks in the fridge. You’ll find more tips and recipes to browse through at your winter leisure at www.falmouthfarmersmarket.org

Winter Greens with Curry Oil
4 Tbs. Madras curry powder
½  (half) cup peanut oil (or use another neutral oil like grape-seed or canola)
pinch salt
Leafy winter greens, turnip tops, or spinach, trimmed and washed

Preheat oven to 300F, then switch it off. Spoon curry powder into a small wide-mouth canning jar (lid off), or a heat-proof glass or metal jug, or a small baking dish. Place container with curry on a pie plate or baking tray.  Slide into the warm—but switched off–oven for 5 minutes, or until curry smells fragrant. Add oil to the container of warm curry powder, stirring well to blend. Return to warm, switched–off oven, setting the oil container back on its tray. (You do not want curry oil tipping inside your oven.) Infuse oil in the cooling oven for an hour or so, stirring oil once or twice, then leave to cool completely, undisturbed on the counter. The curry solids will settle into a layer at the bottom, with the amber curry oil floating on top. Pour off the aromatic oil, season with a pinch of salt, and keep oil refrigerated in a covered container.
For the greens: wash greens and wilt in boiling salted water. Drain, reserving a little cooking liquid, and roughly chop greens if necessary. Toss greens in a sauté pan over heat with enough curry oil to glisten them, adding spoonfuls of their cooking liquid, as needed, to keep them moist. Check seasoning, adding more curry oil if you like, and salt to taste.