It's collard greens season here in Southeastern North Carolina. Actually we just usually call them "greens." We had a friend drop off two heads of collards last week from his farm. You may have seen this photo I posted on my Instagram:
Ingredients:
1 head of collard greens
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 slices of bacon
2 cups of chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
Recipe:
Break the collard leaves off of the head. Wash each one thoroughly. Cut the center stalk out of each leaf. Stack the leaves on a cutting board and cut into 1" wide strips.
In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon, crumble it, and return to pan. Add garlic and cook about a minute. Add chicken broth and collard green strips. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes until the greens are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Personally, I prefer my collard greens cut larger than many Southern cooks do. And I like to cook them for less time, till they are tender but not mushy and still have some body to them. I've also lightened it slightly by reducing the amount of bacon I used to use. It's enough to give it a smoky bacon flavor in the background though.
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My favorite seasoning for collard greens is this Texas Pete Pepper Sauce. It's basically hot pepper vinegar and it's delicious on greens.
So that's pretty much it! Let me know if you make some greens and how you like them!
