Raw kale salad with lemon and parmesan

This simple, elemental salad has few ingredients and each one is irreplaceable. This delicious and healthy treat comes together from just a few tiny moves. Shred the kale as finely as possible, and don't skimp on the pine nuts or the salt. The latter is crucial to the final dish.

Serves 4

1 bunch curly kale
125g pine nuts
100g parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper

For the dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
125ml olive oil

1 Wash and dry the kale. Remove the stems and chop it into strips by rolling the leaves into a ball and making thin slices. Cut it all once again, going in the other direction, so you end up with a pile of nicely chopped leaves.

2 In a small jar, combine the lemon juice and the olive oil. Put the lid on and shake vigorously.

3 Add the pine nuts and cheese to the greens and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss again. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe supplied by Carla Bass and Kelly Yandell, themeaningofpie.com

Eggs, greens and hollandaise

Photograph: Yuki Sugiura for the Guardian

The perfect homemade brunch: your eggs are never overcooked, your vegetable options are not limited to spinach, and your hollandaise – whirled up in a blender in less than 5 minutes – is buttery perfection.

Serves 4-8

570g mixed greens, stems removed, leaves cut into ½ cm-ribbons
30g butter, plus more for the ramekins
½ small onion, or 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of ground or freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp single or double cream
8 large eggs
Salt and black pepper

For the hollandaise
140g unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Dash of Tabasco (optional)

To serve
4 English muffins, split and sliced into 2½cm fingers

1 Wash your greens, but don't dry them – just place them in a large pot over a high heat. Cook with just the water left clinging to the leaves, stirring occasionally, until they wilt. If you use mixed greens, add those that cook more slowly first – baby spinach takes about 2 minutes, grown-up spinach 3-4 minutes, chard 6 minutes, and heavier greens a bit longer.

2 Squeeze out the excess liquid and set aside.

3 To make the hollandaise sauce, cut the butter into small cubes and heat gently in a small saucepan until three-quarters melted, then remove from the heat and stir until the remaining pieces dissolve.

4 Combine the yolks, 1 tbsp lemon juice, a pinch of salt and the Tabasco, if you are using it, and blend the mixture at high speed for about 30 seconds, until the sauce is pale yellow and smooth.

5 Drizzle in the melted butter a few drops at a time, then a spoonful at a time, and finally in a long, thin stream, until all of it is added. The sauce should have thickened quickly. Taste for seasoning. If necessary, you can thin the sauce with water or additional lemon juice. Add more salt if needed.

6 Transfer the hollandaise to a serving dish and set it in a larger dish of warm water, to keep it loose and warm while you prepare the eggs.

7 Preheat your oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Melt 30g butter in a large frying pan over a moderate heat. Fry the onion or shallots and garlic in the butter over a moderately low heat for about 6 minutes until they soften.

8 Stir in the greens and season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg. Raise the heat and drizzle the cream over the greens, then cook for 2-3 minutes.

9 Butter four (for larger portions) or eight (for smaller portions) ramekins and arrange them on a baking sheet. Distribute the greens evenly among them. Break two eggs each into four ramekins, or one each into eight.

10 Bake single-egg ramekins for 10-15 minutes or until the egg whites are set and the yolks are not – double-egg ramekins will take 15-18 minutes.

11 To serve, generously dollop each egg dish with hollandaise sauce. Serve immediately, with toasted English muffin soldiers.

Extracted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes from a New York Kitchen by Deb Perelman (Square Peg, £20). Order a copy for £15 with free UK p&p (save £5) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.

Spring greens millet risotto

Like rice, nutritious millet is gluten-free and makes a creamy risotto with very little effort. Dry-toasting the grain in a pan brings out its sweet, nutty flavour.

Serves 4

170g millet
2 tbsp ghee or butter
1½ tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 medium leek, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stick, diced
4 medium garlic cloves, grated or diced
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
Small pinch of nutmeg
120ml white wine
2¼ litres chicken stock
Parmesan rind (optional)
200g purple sprouting broccoli, stalks trimmed
1 medium head of spring greens, approx 400g, destalked and finely shredded
50-70g parmesan, grated
2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice and ½-1 tsp lemon zest
50g fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Soak the millet overnight ideally, or for 12 hours, in double its volume of water with a tsp of sea salt. Drain and rinse: this reduces cooking time and the amount of stock needed.

2 Toast the millet gently for 1 minute in a large dry saucepan, then set aside in a bowl. In the same saucepan, heat the ghee or butter and sweat the rosemary, leek, onion, celery and garlic for 5 minutes, until soft.

3 Add the toasted millet, salt, pepper and nutmeg and let them cook for 30 seconds to absorb the vegetable juices.

4 Add the wine, give it a stir, then leave to bubble away for a few minutes. In the meantime, bring the stock to a simmer in a separate pan.

5 Add two-thirds of the hot stock to the millet. Stir and bring to a medium simmer for 12‑15 minutes, until it becomes soft and starchy like a risotto. Unsoaked millet will require about 25 minutes. Add the parmesan rind if using and more stock if needed.

6 When the millet is almost cooked, blanch the broccoli for 2-3 minutes in a little boiling water (lid on), then drain.

7 When the millet is cooked, turn off the heat. Remove the parmesan rind, if using, and stir through the shredded spring greens, grated parmesan, lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley (reserve a little for garnishing). Add more hot stock if necessary and taste for seasoning.

8 Serve in deep bowls and arrange the purple sprouting broccoli on top of each bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest and parsley.

Recipe supplied by hemsleyandhemsley.com

Savoy cabbage and radish kimchi

Kimchi is a Korean fermented vegetable dish with oodles of Korean chilli powder, which is somehow muted by the fermentation. The result is a flavourful yet palatable combination. This recipe combines a variation on baechu kimchi – traditionally made with Chinese cabbage – with a Korean radish banchan (side dish). You can substitute the Korean radish and the savoy cabbage for other varieties.

Makes 4 x 500ml jars

1 medium head of savoy cabbage
1 large Korean radish
270g coarse sea salt
1 medium daikon radish, or 340g smaller radishes, shredded
8 garlic cloves, minced
6cm piece of ginger, minced
60ml fish sauce
60g Korean chilli powder
1 bunch spring onions, cut into 2cm pieces
1 tsp sugar or honey

1 Cut the cabbage in half, remove the hard core and slice each half into three equal parts lengthwise. Cut the Korean radish lengthwise, then into 2.5cm cubes. Place both veg in a large bowl, rinse, then mix with the salt. Let it sit for 2 hours. This will draw out the moisture and tenderise the leaves and radish.

2 In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. When the cabbage and radish have tenderised, rinse thoroughly in a colander, then add to the chilli, garlic, ginger and daikon mixture and combine thoroughly.

3 Once incorporated, place the kimchi in glass jars with tight lids. Leave to sit in a cool dry place, not refrigerated. After two days, open and taste. If you want more fermentation, leave out for another couple of days before refrigerating. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Recipe supplied by Gabriel Avila-Mooney, fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife

Southern-style turnip tops

In the southern states of the US, collard greens – which are similar to turnip tops, kale and spring greens – are a staple, generally cooked with smoked or salted meat and often served with black-eyed peas or other pulses. This is a turnip or sprout-top variation; serve with corn bread to mop up the juices.

Serves 4

100g streaky bacon, cut into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or 1 tsp paprika with a pinch of chilli flakes)
A pinch of sugar
300-400g turnip, sprout, beetroot or other vegetable tops, washed
100ml chicken stock
Salt and black pepper

1 In a large pan, cook the bacon in the olive oil for 5 minutes over a medium heat.

2 Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes before adding the garlic, pepper flakes and sugar. Stir well and cook over a low heat for a minute.

3 Add the greens and turn up the heat. Stir vigorously and pour in the chicken stock. Season well and cook until the tops are tender. If you're using beetroot tops, this will only take a minute whereas other tops will take longer.

Recipe supplied by Jane Baxter

Chard and bacon tart

Photograph: Yuki Sugiura for the Guardian

The marriage of cream, bacon, chard and cheese sits happily ever after in a crisp pastry shell. And you don't need to roll out the pastry either …

Serves 6–8

For the pastry
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter, straight from the fridge, diced
A pinch of sea salt
Small glass of iced water

For the filling
70g lardons or chopped bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
100g chard leaves or kale, shredded
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
200ml double cream
100g gruyere cheese
1–2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
Salt and black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Butter a 23cm non-stick tart tin with a removable base.

2 Measure out the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Start rubbing the flour and butter together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the salt. Then add the iced water, 1 tsp at a time, until the pastry just comes together. Don't add too much water or you'll get a hard pastry.

3 Roll it into a loose ball and, using your fingertips, gently push the dough into the tart tin, easing it around until it evenly covers the base and sides.

4 Cover the whole thing with greaseproof paper and weigh it down with some baking beans, then blind bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.

5 Over a medium heat cook the lardons or chopped bacon in a frying pan for about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Wipe out the pan then return it to the heat and add the oil and garlic.

6 Fry for a minute or so – don't let it colour too much – then add the chard and a pinch of salt, and cook until just wilted. Remove from the heat, set aside and leave to drain in a colander. When cool, squeeze out any excess liquid.

7 Take the tart shell out of the oven. Carefully remove the greaseproof paper and the baking beans, and pop it back into the oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up.

8 In a clean bowl beat the eggs, egg yolk, cream, salt and pepper with an electric whisk. Stir in the gruyere and the thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper.

9 Remove the tart shell from the oven. Scatter the chard across the base. Sprinkle the bacon bits in then pour in the cream and egg mixture.

10 Bake the tart in the oven for 30–40 minutes until the filling has puffed up and the pastry is a lovely golden brown.

Leon Family and Friends, by Kay Plunkett-Hogge and John Vincent (Octopus). Order a copy for £20 with free UK p&p (save £5) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.

Spring greens and purple sprouting broccoli with blood orange dressing

This warm salad of greens makes a delicious light supper or easy side. Tart blood oranges are in season, but this zingy Asian dressing can also work with lemon or lime. Try sunflower and sesame seeds for a variation on poppy seeds.

Serves 2-4

200g purple sprouting broccoli, stalks trimmed
1 tsp coconut oil, ghee or butter
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 medium head of spring greens, approx 400g, destalked and roughly chopped
1 small avocado, halved and sliced
8 radishes (approx 50g), thinly sliced
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp mint leaves, torn

For the dressing
25g ginger root
½ tsp tamari soy sauce
½ tsp sea salt
5 tsp fresh blood orange juice or lemon juice
1½ tsp maple syrup
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
6 tbsp unrefined sunflower seed oil
Large pinch of white or black pepper
A little fresh chopped chilli (optional)

1 First make your dressing. Grate the ginger on to a plate, to catch the juice, then squeeze the grated ginger to release more – you need about 3 tsp of fresh ginger juice. Whisk this with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a bowl, or shake in a jam jar, and set aside.

2 Blanch the broccoli for 2-3 minutes in a little boiling water (lid on), then drain.

3 Heat the coconut oil, ghee or butter in a large frying pan and cook half the spring onions for 30 seconds on a medium heat.

4 Add the spring greens and saute for 30 seconds, then add the cooked broccoli. Stir through and turn off the heat.

5 Transfer to a serving dish and arrange the avocado slices, sliced radishes and the rest of the spring onions on top. Drizzle over the blood orange dressing and finish with the poppy seeds and mint.

Recipe supplied by hemsleyandhemsley.com

Caldo verde with goat's cheese toasts

Caldo verde is a thick Portuguese soup that turns the most basic combination of potatoes and greens into something surprisingly scrumptious and comforting. Butternut squash has been added to give it some colour. You can also add slices of chorizo once the greens are cooked.

Serves 4

1 small butternut squash, approx 400g
600g potatoes
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
300g greens (Brussel sprout tops, curly kale, chard or Savoy cabbage)
Salt and black pepper

For the goat's cheese toasts
4 slices of bread (stale is perfectly acceptable)
1 egg
1 tbsp dry sherry (optional)
A pinch of paprika
120–160g hard goat's cheese, rind on
Salt and black pepper

1 Peel the squash and potatoes and cut them into 4cm chunks. Put the garlic, onion, squash and potatoes in a pan and just cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of the oil and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the potatoes and squash are just cooked.

2 Meanwhile, remove any thick stalks from the greens, roll up the leaves and shred them into fine ribbons, 1–2 cm wide.

3 Next prepare the goat's cheese toasts. Toast the bread lightly. Beat the egg in a bowl with 1 tbsp of the oil, the sherry (if using), paprika, salt and pepper. Crumble or grate the cheese and mix into the egg. Place the toast on a baking sheet and spread with the cheese mixture, then set aside.

4 Once the potatoes and squash are cooked, mash them a little to thicken the soup. A hand blender is great for this job; just pulse it a few times in the pan and you should achieve the thickness you want without losing all the texture. Be sure to leave a good few pieces of potato and squash so the soup has a chunky texture. If you feel it is too thick add some hot water to the puree.

5 Bring the soup to the boil over a medium heat, add the greens and some seasoning then turn down to a simmer. Stir in the greens and cook gently for a few minutes until wilted.

6 Grill the goat's cheese toasts until golden. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and douse generously with the remaining oil. Pop a golden toast on top of each serving and push into the soup.

The Kitchen Revolution: A Year of Time-and-Money-Saving Recipes by Rosie Sykes, Zoe Heron and Polly Russell (Ebury Press). Order a copy for £19.99 with free UK p&p (save £7.51) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.

Kale chips

If you're fortunate enough to have a dehydrator, then you can just skip the oven directions here and go about your business. For those of us who have to rely on an oven, the key is keeping the temperature very low – as low as your oven will go – and waiting a few hours while these chips dry out. The wait is worth it, however. Somehow, the hodgepodge of ingredients come together to taste … well, cheesy. In a good way. Think of these as your healthy Doritos – they'll disappear just as quickly.

Serves 2-4 as a snack

100g raw cashew nuts
1 bunch kale, washed and dried (approx 130g)
½ red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
15g nutritional yeast (not to be confused with brewer's yeast)
1 lemon, peeled, cut into wedges and deseeded

1 Cover the cashews with water in a small bowl and let them soak for at least an hour before proceeding.

2 Preheat the oven to the lowest heat setting. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Drain the cashews and set aside. Trim the stems from each kale leaf and cut each leaf into chip-sized pieces.

3 Put the cashews, red pepper, garlic, soy sauce, oil and yeast in a food processor. Scoop the flesh from the lemon and add this as well. Blend until smooth.

4 In a large bowl, combine the kale and cashew paste, making sure the kale is evenly coated. Place the kale pieces on your baking sheets allowing space between each one so they do not touch or overlap. You'll need to cook these in more than one batch, so refrigerate any remaining kale, covered, until you're ready for it.

5 Bake until crisp and completely dry (2-4 hours). Turn leaves over after 1 hour and check periodically – they're ready when the chips are crunchy and stiff and the topping doesn't feel chewy or moist. They'll stay fresh in an airtight container for one week.

Recipe by Stephanie Barlow, thekitchn.com

Orecchiette with purple sprouting broccoli

This classic Pugliese pasta dish is originally made with cime di rapa – a turnip green that's popular in the south of Italy – but it works well with purple sprouting broccoli instead.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to serve
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 dried chillies, deseeded if preferred, chopped
8 anchovy fillets, chopped
400g purple sprouting broccoli
350g orecchiette
Parmesan, grated, to taste
Salt and black pepper

1 Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic and chilli. Fry for a few minutes but don't let the garlic brown. Add the anchovies, remove the pan from the heat and stir vigorously so the anchovies "melt" into the oil.

2 In a pan of boiling salted water, cook the purple sprouting broccoli – leaves and all – for about 4 minutes until tender. Drain and roughly chop. Add to the anchovy oil and cook for about 5 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette for about 12 minutes (or according to directions on the packet) until almost cooked but a little al dente. Drain well and place in the pan with the broccoli. Season well and add grated parmesan to taste.

Everyday and Sunday: Recipes from Riverford Farm, by Jane Baxter and Guy Watson (Fourth Estate). Order a copy for £20 with free UK p&p (save £5) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.