Garlicky Greens

Wash the torn leaves in a sink of cold water and lift them out with your hands, leaving the grit behind at the bottom.

Dry them hard in a salad spinner, or between two tea towels, until no water beads on the leaves. Wet greens carry that water into the pan, and nothing in it can get above 100C/212F until the water has boiled away, so the leaves steam themselves grey instead of frying.

Pour the oil into a wide frying pan and add the sliced garlic and chilli flakes while the pan is still cold.

Set the pan over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold at the edges and the oil smells sweet and nutty.

Do the garlic now rather than after the greens go in. It needs bare oil and gentle heat to give its flavour up, and it will not do it under a wet pile of leaves. Take it no further than pale gold either, because browned garlic turns bitter and the greens sit in that bitterness for the rest of the cooking.

Turn the heat to high.

Add the greens a handful at a time, turning each one through the oil before the next goes in.

Season with the 2g of fine salt.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, moving them constantly with tongs, until the leaves have collapsed to about a third of their volume and turned glossy dark green.

Taste a piece: it should be tender with a little chew left at the thickest part, not squeaky.

Squeeze the lemon juice over off the heat.

Serve straight away, next to the roast chicken with lemon and thyme or the crisp-skinned salmon.