Collard greens are one of those secret treasures that not many know about unless they're from the south. I discovered this tasty find when I began my quest to learn southern cooking. Collard greens are quite pleasing to the palette when made the right way and they're a great way to sneak in some of those leafy greens that are so good for our health into your diet. This particular recipe is a variation of one given to me by my mother-in-law. I added a few of my own touches to it. Give it a try! :)
Ingredients:
-4 bunches collard greens
-1 and 1/2 cups seasoned salt (I use Lawry's)
-3 beef bouillon cubes (I use Maggi)
-1 pkg. (about 10 strips) smoked turkey bacon
Preparing the greens:
It's important to make sure your collard greens are properly cleaned as they may contain a lot of dirt, bacteria, and even little bugs sometimes.
*Fill up your (clean) sink with cold water and add lots of salt (to kill any bacteria).
*Submerge collard greens in water and move around with your hands.
*Leave greens in water for about 10 minutes so that all of the debris falls to the bottom of the sink.
*Drain water and gently wash off any remaining salt and/or debris from greens.
In a large pot:
*Bring to boil about 4 qt. water.
*Add seasoned salt, beef bouillon cubes, and turkey bacon slices.
*Gently pat the excess water off of your greens with a paper towel.
* Roll out each leaf and cut out the stem so that all that's left are two clean halves of a leaf. (Some people like to keep a little stem, but it's really up to you)
*After all the greens have been destemmed, stack 5 or 6 leaves on top of each other and roll up.
*Cut the roll of greens in 1/2 inch chunks.
*Place all cut up greens into a bowl as you go along.
*When all greens are cut up, add them to your pot of boiling liquids and turkey bacon.
*Reduce heat to medium-low and allow greens to cook for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.
*Drain water, discard turkey bacon slices, and serve hot!
(Optional: Southerners often like to add some hot sauce to their greens)
Bon appetit!
my family is from the south, so i've grown up on greens and cornbread and fried chicken :).
ReplyDeleteHave you tried using smoked turkey in the greens?
They give it a fantastic flavor :)
I used smoked turkey bacon...but it's very hard for me to find actual halal turkeys here in Chapel Hill or else I would have.
ReplyDeleteoh i've always wanted to try collard greens! and i'm always looking for new green leaves to cook since they are so healthy. i'm gonna give your recipe a try iA!
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