TO THE UNKNOWING EYE.

THE MARCH FARMERS MARKET may be uninspiring—tomatoes and stone fruit are still a long way off, and all you see at vendors’ tables are bunches of winter greens, a monochromatic landscape of dark green. But take a closer look: take those humble heaps of early spring offer a wide span of flavors and textures to explore, from brassicas like pleasantly bitter, earthy collards and pungent mustards to amaranths like slightly sweet, mineral-rich spinach.

And while those unwieldy looking bunches may seem intimidating, working winter greens into your weeknight dinners is in fact an easy way to add instant depth to any meal. Winter greens are culinary chameleons that can adapt to whatever cooking techniques you apply: They're sturdy enough to withstand long braising, which helps break down their cell walls and reduces bitter, sulfurous compounds. The quickest sauté is all you need to soften the wasabi-like punch of mustard greens, like in my Pasta with Greens and Beans (recipe p. 101). And when you don’t have time to turn on the stove, your hands can take over, quickly massaging greens with an oil-based vinaigrette. Massaging greens breaks down the leaves’ fibrous membranes and allows you to build a bright, tender-crisp Collard Greens Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe p. 101). Fat in all forms tempers assertive greens, too: rich, spicy chorizo helps balance every bowl of Caldo Verde, a cozy Portuguese soup (recipe p. 98). But the goal doesn’t always have to be taming your winter greens. Consider playing up their bite by pairing them with similarly bold ingredients, like fresh chiles and fish sauce in a warming bowl of Coconut Curry Creamed Spinach (recipe p. 98).

When prepared intentionally, as in the following recipes, winter’s leafy greens have the ability to steal the spotlight on your dinner plate.

A GLOSSARY OF GREENS

1. KALE