Collard Greens

[Darby]

Hi all! So, like, I'm in Illinois, and about the only that's thriving in my garden right now, with the drought and the heat, are the collards I planted outside my kitchen door-partly just for aesthetics. I do use them, mostly in Spanakopita, but I'm wondering if anyone has a really good cooking method. I'm thinking more of Greek/Italian style than Southern....I've cooked them with bacon and ham hocks already.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated....otherwise I'll have to open a stand and start giving huge bunches of them away!!

[lperry]

I don't have any recipes, but I do know that you can blanch and freeze them. That might cut down on your surplus. Or you can just stuff them in the pockets of visitors as they leave your house....

-Linda

[bottomlesspit]

Haven't tried these from Epicurious, but I've found their recipes with consistent 3-4 fork ratings to be at least palatable, even outstanding at times.

Hope this is helpful!

Collard Green Olive Pesto

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109229

Shredded Collard Greens with Walnuts and Pickled Green Apples

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/1026666

Vegetable and Ricotta Stuffed Collard Rolls with Tomato Sauce

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/11642

[Darby]

Thanks so much! The rolls sound fantastic, I'm definitely trying that one this weekend!!

[phlawless]

You coul chiffonade them (better when they are young this time of year: not as bitter) and quick saute with olive oil and garlic. This doesn't work well with the thick outter leaves. Another use is to again chiffonade then fry in a couple of inches of peanut oil, remove and season while still hot. Another: cook down and use as a filling for a savory crostata with goat cheese (this would require a hefty amount)

[petite tête de chou]

Make a wild rice pilaf with blanched, chopped collard greens and pine nuts. This can be used as a side dish or as a stuffing for fish or pork.

[mrbigjas]

.....gettin funky on the mic like an old batch of collard greens....

darby, there was a recipe in last year's wall street journal after thanksgiving which i made a couple times and was great. it was basically a fritatta with turkey and cheese and collard greens in it. cook the collard greens with onion/red pepper/vinegar like usual, then put them in the fritatta with some leftover cooked turkey. greens and eggs get along like gangbusters.

if you want, pm me and i'll take a look for the recipe at home.

[Jinmyo]

Chop finely, add to sauteeing minced white onion and garlic, wilt, add some Retsina and some lamb stock, cover. Serve with braised lamb shanks or shoulder, some fried haloomi with lemon, crusty bread, more (chilled) Retsina to drink.

[Schneier]

Can you pickle and can them?

[Pallee]

i love using them for Saag. Saute them with onion, ginger, garlic, jalepeno and some ghee or clarified butter (or plain butter if you're lazy). Cook for a while, hit with salt and pepper and puree with an immersion blender (or regular one). Then finish with some garam masala. Yum!

[John DePaula]

I'm Italian and grew up near New Orleans. In addition to all of the wonderful ways Southerners cook greens, my mom would also make:

Italian-Style Fried Greens

Boil greens and drain. Coat bottom of frying pan with a couple of turns of olive oil, fry greens a few minutes. Add some chopped onion and garlic; sauté until onions are soft. Add bread crumbs (Progresso Italian-Style) & Italian cheese (Parmesan and/or Romano). Allow a little bit of a crust to develop. Turn and add move crumbs and cheese – several times. Season with salt and pepper.

Mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and cabbage may be cooked this way.

[ludja]

I'm Italian and grew up near New Orleans.  In addition to all of the wonderful ways Southerners cook greens, my mom would also make:

Italian-Style Fried Greens

Boil greens and drain.  Coat bottom of frying pan with a couple of turns of olive oil, fry greens a few minutes.  Add some chopped onion and garlic; sauté until onions are soft.  Add bread crumbs (Progresso Italian-Style) & Italian cheese (Parmesan and/or Romano).  Allow a little bit of a crust to develop. Turn and add move crumbs and cheese – several times.  Season with salt and pepper.

Mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and cabbage may be cooked this way.

←

Hmmm... sounds good. I might also take the end result and fold it into some cooked pasta or cooked white beans for a main course dish.

I've recently been cooking up some kale in a simllar fashion but with no bread crumbs. You can also make a light meal by keeping the greens kind of soupy and then cooking an egg on top. Serve with some crusty bread, maybe rubbed with garlic and olive oil. Nice to add some red pepper flakes to the greens as they cook as well.

Could also make varitations on Portuguese Kale soup (Caldo Verde) with potato and linguica...

Edited August 27, 2005 by ludja (log)

[Darby]

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions!! I made a fritatta for lunch yesterday, and it went something like this...

1 lg Vidalia onion, caramelized with about 1 tb balsamic

about 4 c packed chopped collards, sauteed with the onion

8 eggs

3 diced tomatoes

about 1 c Trader Joes Meditteranean blend shredded cheese (provolone, fontina & kasseri)

S & P

Penzey's Greek Seasoning (Lemon peel, oregano, marjoram, garlic)

a little cream

It came out great, although I think I'll use fresh oregano or basil next time.

Thanks again, looking forward to trying the other ideas!!

Edited August 27, 2005 by Darby (log)

[stevea]

I grow a lot of greens in my garden too. Kale, collards, chard, mustard, turnip. I've tried a lot of recipes, but I usually come back to something like this for everything but the chard.

Clean and separate the greens from the stalks. I'm assuming you'll use a pound or so. Chop roughly.

(optional) Finely chop a bit of pork product (bacon is nice). However much you'd like. Cook with a tablespoon or so of olive oil until most of fat is rendered.

Add three or four chopped garlic cloves to oil and cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so)

Add the greens, a bit of salt (a half teaspoon or so depending on the amount of greens) and a generous pinch of sugar. The sugar is really important to give a deeper flavor to the greens. Stir until all the greens are at least a little limp.

Add a bit (half a cup or so) of stock or water to the pot and cover.

Check back in a few minutes and test the doneness. Depending on the types of greens you use and how tender they were to begin with, the cooking time will vary. When the greens are almost done to your liking, remove the cover and cook down the liquid.

(optional) Add a little red wine vinegar at the end to spice up the flavor.

Add any salt and pepper at the end if needed.

[AzianBrewer]

Can you pickle and can them?

←

Sure u can. My mother used to salt them with a bit of vinegar for couple of days. She then chopped it and stir fried it with pork.

[blue_dolphin]

Old thread, I know but just yesterday, I followed a recommendation in it so I thought I'd follow up.

 

In spite of the 90+ degree temps we've been having lately, my CSA box had items like collards, turnips and mizuna that I usually associate with cooler weather.  Not in the mood for my usual hearty beans and greens dishes so I searched up this thread and in post # 3 above I found a recommendation for this collard green olive pesto.  I only had about 1 lb of collards so I added the turnip greens, cooked separately.  I included some extra olives, a handful of walnuts and, as I usually do with pesto, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  

 

I posted a picture of my pasta supper over on the dinner thread where I mentioned that I was concerned that a pesto made from cooked greens would turn into a dull green slime.  That was not the case - the walnuts and olives gave it a good texture and the olive flavor comes through nicely. The recipe made quite a bit so I put half in the freezer.  I'll certainly make this again when I'm deluged with greens!

[huiray]

Chiffonade them, if "large" or "well-developed" leaves. Then use in stir-fries, in fried rice, or in broths/soups - cooking them for 5-10 minutes is sufficient, they retain texture but are eminently edible. I prefer them, like my vegetables, with some "bite" in them in general. Or, in larger pieces/ribbons, cook/braise with other meats like pork belly, not just ham or bacon, and you certainly don't need to cook them till they are mush - in my opinion and personal taste, of course. If you grow them - why not pick the leaves when they are young – say, 2-3 inches in length/size. They can then even be used in green salads as-is; and in my experience, for me, young tender leaves if cooked for more than a few minutes just turn to mush. I've put fistfuls of young leaves (whole) into a simmering pot of broth-soup and turned the heat off after they have just wilted in. (an old post) Some other old posts here, here (scroll down), here, here (scroll down). Many other posts on eG with collards in various dishes, of course. :-)