Sunday, January 09, 2022

Southern Collard Greens Recipe

Collard Greens Recipe was closest to how Cathy and Leaa cook their "county line" collards. I made these on 01/09/22. I should have cooked them a little longer than one hour (were a bit "al dente"), but need to cook too long, not get them mushy.

Southern Collard Greens

How to make the best Southern Collard Greens! Full of flavorful ingredients and easy to make
 CourseSide Dish, Vegetable
 CuisineAmerican, southern
 Keywordchicken broth, collard greens, greens, smoked turkey leg
 Prep Time1 hour
 Cook Time1 hour
 Total Time2 hours
 Servings5 people

Ingredients

Collard Greens Wash Solution

  • 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons salt

Southern Collard Greens

  • 2 bunches fresh collard greens (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup finely diced onions
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4-5 cups chicken broth (can replace 1 cup with water if desired)
  • 1 fully-cooked smoked turkey leg or wing (about 13 oz)
  • 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
  • Applewood smoked salt & black pepper, to season

Instructions

Prep The Collard Greens

  • Prepare the collard greens bath by filling your kitchen sink with cool water and adding vinegar and salt.
  • Remove the collard greens from the steams by folding them in half lengthwise and pulling the leaf away from the stem. (discard the stem or see note below on how to cook them)
  • Place the collard greens into the prepared water bath and swish them around several times, scrubbing them to help loosen up any dirt.
  • Let the collard greens soak for 15-20 minutes, giving them a scrub midway. Drain the water and refill with plain water and allow the greens to soak again if needed. Repeat as many times as needed until the water is free from any dirt or grit. After the final soak, drain the water. Next, rinse and scrub each leaf front and back with cool water to ensure they are squeaky clean.
  • Tear the greens into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.

Cook The Greens

  • In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until tender.
  • Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant.
  • Pour in the broth and add the turkey leg. Bring to a boil.
  • Add collard greens and reduce heat to a simmer.
  • Cover and cook collard for 1 hour (or longer depending on your desired tenderness), stirring regularly.
  • Once done, stir and then taste the broth and the greens. (add a little water if the broth is too bold for your liking)
  • Stir in vinegar and smoked salt, and black pepper if desired.
  • Serve collard greens with pieces of the smoked turkey leg and hot sauce if desired.

Notes

How much is a "bunch"?  This recipe uses 2 bunches which were roughly under 2 lbs each before removing the stems. (There were about 20 leaves in each bunch. If you buy your whole collard green leaves from the grocery store, they are usually already in a bunch)  After removing the stems, the leaves weighed a little over 1.5 pounds.

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