Greens

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I love kale. I love any greens. Big fan of chard for stuffing pork with.

There are a bunch of ways to make greens which are good--I think anyway.

Many people, particularly those not from the south, find greens 'strong', especially collards, or turnip and mustard when picked mature instead of young. Blanching (plus a little more time in the water) helps. Beet greens, spinach, chard, don't need blanching. Greens with more bitterness like collards, kale, mustard, and turnip are good blanched first--it removes some of the bitterness but not all since not a lot of water (proportionately) is used.

Blanching:

Stem 2 lbs of greens, wash them well in several changes of cold water, and tear or cut the coarsely. In a large pot bring 2 qts of lightly salted water to a boil, add the greens and stir them into the water; cover and cook till just tender, about 6-9 min. (Very mature collards sometimes need a min or two more but don't overdo it. The greens will be cooked further later.)

Dump the greens into a colander to drain. Rinse the pot with cold water to cool it, fill it with cold water, and dump the greens into the pot to stop the cooking. Grab a couple handfuls of greens at a time and squeeze out the water ( squeeze well but don't put lots of muscle in it). Put them on a cutting board; repeat till all the greens are squeezed. Run a knife over the pile of greens once or twice to cut them a bit smaller. Continue with your recipe or put in a covered bowl in the fridge and continue later.

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Greens with Red Pepper Flakes and Garlic (I do these several ways. I'll reference alternatives as I write.)



Blanched greens from above


2 T olive oil

1 T butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4-1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (if you have Aleppo pepper this is a great place to use it, or mix it 50-50 with the crushed)

less than 1 c low-sodium chicken stock, homemade or canned (or homemade or made-from-paste ham stock--see note in recipe)

5-6 paper thin slices prosciutto or pancetta, sliced crosswise into narrow strips (optional--see note in recipe)


Over med heat in a large saute pan heat the oil with the pepper flakes then melt the butter into it. When the butter's foam subsides add the garlic and cook, stirring, till fragrant, about 45-60 secs. Add the greens and stir well to coat with the oil mix. Add about 1/3 c stock, stir, raise the temp to med-high, and cover.

[Note: I often use chicken stock and pancetta or prociutto (in which case I add the meat with the greens) because I really like the combo; sometimes I use chicken stock alone or I use ham stock alone. Ham base is available (as a paste in a jar) from well-stocked stores (look near the bouillon) or Penzey's carries a very good one. Make it on the weak side s that it's not too salty.]

Cook covered a couple min then stir. Add a few T of stock if the pan is drying out (the greens will absorb it). Repeat 2-3 min later if needed. The greens usually take about 6-8 min. They're done when juicy and tender (very mature collards can go longer). If there is too much liquid in the pan leave the cover off for a min or two and let it evaporate.

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Greens with Smoked Hocks and Pot Likker


Blanched greens

2 smoked hocks

1 med onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced (optional but recommended)

S&P

sugar



In a large soup or stock pot place the hocks with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce the heat and simmer 2 hours. Remove the hocks to a plate and allow to cool. Put the greens, onion, garlic, and bell pepper in the pot with the likker, bring to a boil on high heat, reduce the heat and cook at a simmer, covered, till all is tender, 10- 15 min. Uncover and continue to simmer a few minutes to reduce the likker and concentrate it a bit. Sprinkle on just a little sugar, stir; adjust salt and pepper to taste.

While the greens are simmering, remove the skin from the hocks (discard or reserve for another use). Strip the meat off the bones and chop finely.

For serving: Stir the meat into the pot then lift out ladlesful of greens with some of the likker and put in small bowls for serving along with biscuits or cornbread, butter, and pepper sauce (pepper vinegar).

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Greens with Bacon and Grape Tomatoes



Blanched greens from above


5-6 slices bacon

2 small or 1 large onion

1/4-1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (if you have Aleppo pepper this is a great place to use it, or mix it 50-50 with the crushed)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 basket grape tomatoes, halved

sugar

S&P

apple cider vinegar




Over med-low heat in a large saute pan heat the bacon. Cook, turning occasionally, till the bacon is cooked through, starting to crisp but not there yet. (Cooking at a lower temp will help keep the solids in the bacon fat from burning.) Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. When cool chop it finely; reserve. Discard all but about 3 T of bacon fat in the pan, add the onion and crushed pepper and saute on med-low heat till the onion is browned in spots, 7-12 min. Add the garlic and cook till fragrant, about 1 min. Add the greens and stir well to coat well. Add about 1/3 c stock, stir, raise the temp to med-high, and cover.

Cook covered a couple min then stir. Add a few T of stock if the pan is drying out (the greens will absorb it). Repeat 2-3 min later if needed. The greens usually take about 6-8 min. They're done when juicy and tender (very mature collards can go longer). If there is too much liquid in the pan leave the cover off for a min or two and let it evaporate. Sprinkle on just a little sugar and add the tomatoes. Stir, cover, and cook just till the tomatoes are heated through, about 2 min. Add the reserved bacon, a few drops of the vinegar and cook a minute longer, stirring gently. Taste; adjust salt, pepper, and vinegar; serve.
 
Kruger, thanks for posting the recipes. All three look good. My mom use to make turnip greens with the Ham Hocks. Always good eats.
 
Finney said:
I'll post my recipe for collards when I get back to SC. I'm still in traveling mode.
You're always in "travelling mode"... 8-[ Well, that's what Larry told me anyway... #-o
 
Thanks Kevin, I love greens although I haven't tackled em myself.
Good to have a recipe for em.. I'll be trying them soon.
 
This is an old topic but I wanted to add this....if the greens are too bitter tasting for you, add a little sugar when cooking them. What I do is wash them very well then put in a pot with some water, salt and sugar and cook until tender. This is how my grandmother always made them and I love them!

BTW, here in nothern Indiana, I find them at Super Walmart, few other places carry fresh greens.
 
allie said:
This is an old topic but I wanted to add this....if the greens are too bitter tasting for you, add a little sugar when cooking them. What I do is wash them very well then put in a pot with some water, salt and sugar and cook until tender. This is how my grandmother always made them and I love them!

BTW, here in nothern Indiana, I find them at Super Walmart, few other places carry fresh greens.

Mama Dip says the same thing, so it must be right. In fact, she adds a touch of sugar to just about everything.
 
So do I! Stewed tomatoes, green beans, butterbeans, field peas...any veggies like this really. I think it makes the flavors more intense!
 
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