Bacon-Wilted Greens with Warm Goat Cheese

Virginia Willis is a French-trained chef and well-loved authority on Southern cooking. Her new book Lighten Up, Y’all: Classic Southern Recipes Made Healthy and Wholesome arrived in my mailbox a few weeks back. I’ve enjoyed cooking from it very much.

In this beautifully photographed book, Virginia shares “lighter” versions of her favorite Southern recipes. Whole foods ingredients-and vegetables in particular-are featured prominently, and balance and moderation (yay!) are discussed throughout. Nutritional information is provided for all of the recipes.

I chose to make Virginia’s Bacon-Wilted Greens because 1. I am always looking for new ways to serve greens 2. I was intrigued by the baked apple with goat cheese garnish. I really loved this dish and will definitely be making it again! I used local Savoy spinach instead of the kale Virginia calls for: next time I’ll give the kale a try because the spinach cooked down quite a bit and made fewer servings than the recipe in the book states.

[cft format=0]

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Recipe for Bacon-Wilted Green with Warm Goat Cheese

This dish is Virginia's lighter take on a traditional French preparation of fresh goat cheese melted on a bread crouton over crisp greens.

As I mentioned above, I used local Savoy spinach instead of the kale and I left out the pecans because I didn't have any on hand. If using kale, the greens will not cook down as much as the spinach.

The recipe in the book states that it serves 6 but two of us easily devoured these greens since the spinach cooked down so much.

Servings: 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• *2 center-cut bacon slices cut into lardons ("match-stick" slices)
• *1/2 red onion thinly sliced
• *1 apple such as Gala, Granny Smith, or Honeycrisp, skin on, cored and diced
• *Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• *8 cups tender kale stemmed and cut into chiffonade (I used Savoy spinach)
• *1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• *3 tablespoons very finely chopped pecans I left these out
• *1 6-ounce log goat cheese
• *1 small apple such as Gala, Granny Smith, or Honeycrisp, skin on with core, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Instructions

• 1. Line a plate with paper towels. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat and set aside.
• 2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate. Pour off all but a film of the grease on the bottom of the pan. (Just eyeball it instead of trying to measure, but it should be just about 1/2 teaspoon; discard the remaining grease.)
• 3. To make the salad, return the skillet to low heat. Add the onion and the diced apple. Season with salt and pepper. Add the kale; cook until the kale begins to wilt, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar; cover, and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• 4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to broil. Place the finely chopped pecans in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Roll the goat cheese log in the pecans to evenly coat. Refrigerate until firm if necessary, then cut evenly into 6 rounds and place each round of cheese on the sliced apple. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
• 5. To serve, divide the kale salad among the plates. Top with an apple-cheese round and garnish with the reserved bacon. Serve immediately.

Related Articles

Dandelion Greens with Ramps, Bacon and Blue Cheese Strawberry Salad with Almonds and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad with Pomegranate, Avocado and Goat Cheese Cara Cara Orange, Beet, and Goat Cheese Salad Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Terrine Rotini with Broccoli, Peas, Basil and Goat Cheese for Kitchen Play