What could be a better recipe to post on Valentine’s Day then a bacon laden green vegetable that can get stuck in your teeth? Okay, so these collard greens may not be romantic, (unless of course you are wooing a Southern mama’s boy in which case they will definitely win his heart,) but they are certainly tasty.
If you haven’t worked with collard greens before, they are a braising green from the cabbage family that looks like a cross between a green cabbage and a black kale leaf. This braised collard greens recipe evokes the Southern tradition of including a pork product and a vinegar. More often collard greens are cooked with a ham hock, but a little bit of bacon and bacon fat makes this recipe much quicker and easier.
(serves 2-4)
1/4 cup roughly chopped bacon
8 cups roughly chopped collard greens
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
salt
Brown the bacon over medium heat in a large saute pan with a lid. Add the greens and stir to coat all leaves with bacon fat. Add vinegar and the water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 40 minutes. Taste and check how much liquid is left, if it is looking dry add another 1/2 cup of water. Taste and check for tenderness, if you like it really tender cook for another 40 minutes or so. Check the seasoning as depending on your bacon you may want a pinch of salt. Serve hot.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Love collards…the only thing missing to make a southern heart sing is a sprinkling of red pepper flakes
Mary – why didn’t I use red pepper flakes! Funny, I always do when I braise kale. but I didn’t come across red pepper flakes in any of the recipe research I did. Next time.