Blanch and chill leafy greens, then steep them in a simple seasoned broth to impart a gloriously rounded and savoury umami flavour
T
he ohitashi method is such an elegant way to enhance the natural flavours of leafy greens, while also reducing food waste. This traditional Japanese technique involves blanching and chilling leafy greens, then steeping them in a simple seasoned broth that imparts a wonderful and rounded savoury umami flavour. Most recipes for such greens use just the leafy part, but with ohitashi the stems are cooked first.
Ohitashi is a wonderful way to prepare vegetables in advance, because the vegetables need to steep in a delicious broth for at least a few hours and up to five days, soaking up the marinade as they age. You can make ohitashi-style vegetables with just about any leafy greens: spinach, kale, chard, radish leaves, turnip tops or nettles.
Cooking greens quickly, then blanching them in iced water, is a classic chef’s trick that helps maintain their bright colour by halting the cooking process and preserving the chlorophyll. I cool blanched vegetables very quickly using a large tray of very cold water cooled with ice blocks (to save on ice) and prevent a loss of nutrients (and flavour!), which can happen when vegetables are steeped for an extended period.
