I'm a Southern girl. I grew up on collard greens with pork, be it ham bones, hog jowl, fat back, or skins. Pork and greens were the only match. Then somewhere it got said that that wasn't healthy. So, then it was collards and smoked turkey parts, preferably the leg. Even still family was known to put a dab of bacon drippings in there. Yeah, now we know that's trans fats.
Pulling away from something you know can be difficult, especially when the flavor you remember is what your taste buds expect. I've seen many recipes of vegetables cooked without pork or meat, but they always appeared like hospital food or not fully cooked. But thanks to my friend,
Nichole, tonight I have experienced greens without pork or meat. No, not a vegetarian dish because of the presence of chicken broth, but no meat nonetheless.
Collards and Kale
Her recipe:
Saute an onion in olive oil. Add cleaned greens and enough chicken broth and a little water to cover. Season with black pepper, crushed red pepper, salt, garlic, and a little apple cider vinegar. When the greens have cooked down, simmer until done.
My modifications:
When I completed this dish, I put some chicken broth in the pot with the greens, but waited until the greens began to cook down before adding water or any of the other ingredients. If you've cooked greens before, you know that having a lot at the beginning means nothing. You're like, "Where did my greens go?" So that's why I waited. Also, I also added a pinch of sugar. According to my mother, anything that needs salt also needs a pinch of sugar and vice versa, regardless of what the recipe requires.
What will I do differently next time?
I'll put the kale in first because sometimes it takes a bit longer to cook. Other than that, nothing!
Thanks again,
Nichole! I'll be trying this again. :-)
