# Collard greens can be really yummy



## medtran49 (Jan 16, 2014)

Okay, I'll take the advice from yesterday's dinner thread and start a recipe thread for collards. This is not really my recipe but one I've stolen from Emeril and I just kind of adapt to what I have in the pantry. 

Bag of collards or a big bunch of collards - washed and picked thru (even if it's bagged cause I've found bugs before)

A good sized onion, chopped

2 good size garlic cloves, chopped

4-6 pieces of bacon - I've even just used bacon grease if didn't have any bacon and it tasted the same, just didn't have the bacon bits in it 

Bottle of plain old beer - you can use chicken broth or even water if you don't want to use beer but beer just makes it better. 

1 tablespoon of molasses or 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (dark or light, whatever you have)

good shake of cayenne pepper - to your heat tolerance 

white vinegar to taste - I start with a couple of tablespoons

salt and pepper 

Cook the bacon in a medium sized, heavy bottomed pot till crispy, remove and set aside to cool, then break into pieces. 

Cook onions in pot until translucent over medium heat, add the garlic for a minute or so, then add the whole bottle of beer. Add cayenne, S&P, molasses or brown sugar, and vinegar, stir. Once starting to boil start adding the collards a good handful at a time, pressing down and mixing up as they start to soften. Throw in some of the bacon pieces here and there as you do this. Cover and let cook until your desired doneness. Adding water if all the liquid evaporates and they still need to cook longer. 

I cook them until they are totally soft as that's the way Craig likes them. Usually takes the better part of an hour. 

We grow collards too like the other person in the dinner thread. A few plants can grow a lot of collards and where we live it's tough to give them away as most people here associate them with bad cafeteria food from school. So, we had to find other uses. BTW, they do freeze well if you blanch them but generally fall apart once they've been in the freezer. I much prefer the ones we've grown to what we get from the grocery so I don't mind freezing them. 

Creamed collards - just like creamed spinach but they take a little longer to cook. 

Collard Rolls - Blanch them, cut out the center vein where it starts to get big and roll up just like you would for cabbage rolls. We like to use dirty rice for this. Funny thing, when I posted this on the dinner forum the first year we grew collards, my idea showed up on a Food Network program a couple of months later. You can't blanch and freeze the whole leaves, they just tear apart - yep, learned from experience. 

Whose up next?


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## Kayelle (Jan 16, 2014)

Those sound great MT. 

Here's what went on at last night's dinner thread:

 	Quote:
 	 	 		 			 				 					Originally Posted by *Kayelle* 

 
_I bought a bag of shredded collard  greens at Trader Joe's and my experience with them is practically nill.  I'm planning on cooking up some diced panchetta, (also TJ's) and onion  with some of my home made chicken stock. If that doesn't sound right,  please speak up fast. I guess I need to make cornbread too?_

 	Quote:
 	 	 		 			 				 					Originally Posted by *Aunt Bea* 

 
_I'm with you so far, I also like to add fresh chopped garlic and red pepper flakes to mine.
___________________________________________________________

They turned out well last night with the addition of garlic and red pepper flakes, as prescribed by Bea. 
Since we are notorious meat eaters, I nestled some large pieces of smoked sausages among the greens. A pan of cornbread made it complete. Yumm Yumm, I think I did my southern Mama proud.

_


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## cave76 (Jan 16, 2014)

I love collard greens----- and they're one of the veggies that can tolerate really cool weather so it was a star in my winter garden (in California).

I like to cook it more or less the ways posted here------ but I add a lot more hot chilies or red pepper flakes. 

Here are three different ways to cook collards the Ethiopian way.

Ethiopian collard greens three ways - Atlanta Ethnic foods | Examiner.com

Niter kibbe is:

Recipe: Ethiopian Spiced Clarified Butter (Niter Kibbeh) Recipes from The Kitchn | The Kitchn

I haven't made niter kibbe but I certainly  will do so in the near future. Sounds great, for my  tastes.


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## CarolPa (Jan 16, 2014)

I eat greens just about every day.  I just chop them and clean them, then mix them with sauteed onion, garlic and mushrooms, put them in a big frying pan with a small amount of chicken broth, put the lid on and let them just steam over a very low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally, making sure the broth doesn't cook away.  I love them, and they are the most nutritious vegetable there is, I believe.


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## pacanis (Jan 16, 2014)

Can you eat these plain?
They sound like they need a lot of doctoring up to make them palatable.


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## Mad Cook (Jan 16, 2014)

pacanis said:


> Can you eat these plain?
> They sound like they need a lot of doctoring up to make them palatable.


I thought that too.

 The length of cooking seems a bit extreme. Collard greens are in the brassica (cabbage) family? Right? None of the cabbage family are improved by long cooking.

 Incidentally, did you know that you have to be careful about your consumption of members of the brassica family if you are taking blood thinning medicine (for example Warfarin and similar drugs)


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## medtran49 (Jan 16, 2014)

pacanis said:


> Can you eat these plain?
> They sound like they need a lot of doctoring up to make them palatable.


 
I don't think anybody would want to eat them raw, maybe zapped in a blender for a "health" drink but even then I'm not so sure.  They are kind of tough and fibrous, especially the homegrown ones.  Don't know what is grown commercially but there's a world of difference between what I grow and what I get bagged in the grocery.  Greens pack a lot of nutrition plus fiber though and really aren't that much trouble.  Once you get them started, it's just an occasional stir.  You don't have to add all the other stuff, just makes it taste better.  The lunch ladies from school certainly didn't add all the doctoring.  Just greens, water, S&P and vinegar, which is why most of the kids, including myself, wouldn't touch them with a 10' pole.  Honestly, I've never tried them that way as an adult.  I reluctantly agreed to try Emeril's recipe since Craig likes even the "lunch ladies" greens preparation, though he much prefers Emeril's.


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## cave76 (Jan 16, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> I thought that too.
> 
> The length of cooking seems a bit extreme. Collard greens are in the brassica (cabbage) family? Right? None of the cabbage family are improved by long cooking.
> 
> Incidentally, did you know that you have to be careful about your consumption of members of the brassica family if you are taking blood thinning medicine (for example Warfarin and similar drugs)



MC---- I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you a bit. Collards _are_ improved by long(er) cooking, just like kale, unless you want a really chewy veggie.

Cabbage doesn't need long cooking, for my tastes. I never liked cooked cabbage because my mother always cooked it to a greenish-grey substance.
It was only after I started cooking for myself that cabbage cooked in a little butter or chicken fat for a short time was delicious!

And as a person who will be warfarin for the rest of my life I knew that about brassicas. It's really heartbreaking for me since I just love all that family and now I can only eat it in small portions or when my INR gets a little too high. 
Sigh.


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## medtran49 (Jan 16, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> I thought that too.
> 
> The length of cooking seems a bit extreme. Collard greens are in the brassica (cabbage) family? Right? None of the cabbage family are improved by long cooking.
> 
> Incidentally, did you know that you have to be careful about your consumption of members of the brassica family if you are taking blood thinning medicine (for example Warfarin and similar drugs)


 
You have to be careful with any kind of greens when taking Warfarin, Coumadin, etc., even salad greens. Patients are warned about that when they are started on the medications. 

Perhaps you should look up some other recipes before making a blanket statement about length of cooking times and/or cook some yourself. Some people cook even longer. Some people a little shorter. Depends on the texture you like. It also depends on whether you are using brand new leaves or full-size leaves. I use full-size leaves for my traditional type preparation, which is the only kind I've ever seen available commercially.


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## Addie (Jan 16, 2014)

I would think apple cider vinegar would be better than the harsh white vinegar. Or even rice vinegar. I love collard greens and cabbage, cauliflower, etc.


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## medtran49 (Jan 16, 2014)

Addie said:


> I would think apple cider vinegar would be better than the harsh white vinegar. Or even rice vinegar. I love collard greens and cabbage, cauliflower, etc.


 
Probably if you didn't add in the sweetness with molasses or brown sugar.  I actually had to add extra when I made them the other night because I got a little heavy handed when I added the molasses (don't measure anymore) and they were a bit sweet.  You really aren't adding that much anyway compared to everything else so you just get the vinegary taste.


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## pacanis (Jan 16, 2014)

medtran49 said:


> I don't think anybody would want to eat them raw, maybe zapped in a blender for a "health" drink but even then I'm not so sure. They are kind of tough and fibrous, especially the homegrown ones. Don't know what is grown commercially but there's a world of difference between what I grow and what I get bagged in the grocery. Greens pack a lot of nutrition plus fiber though and really aren't that much trouble. Once you get them started, it's just an occasional stir. You don't have to add all the other stuff, just makes it taste better. The lunch ladies from school certainly didn't add all the doctoring. Just greens, water, S&P and vinegar, which is why most of the kids, including myself, wouldn't touch them with a 10' pole. Honestly, I've never tried them that way as an adult. I reluctantly agreed to try Emeril's recipe since Craig likes even the "lunch ladies" greens preparation, though he much prefers Emeril's.


 
I don't think there's anything I eat that don't like the flavor of "as is" as well as seasoned or sauced. Spinach, B sprouts, even cabbage I'd have no problem eating plain if that's all there was.
I was just curious if collard greens can be enjoyed by themself. They sound like how Andy M describes cauliflower


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## Mad Cook (Jan 16, 2014)

medtran49 said:


> You have to be careful with any kind of greens when taking Warfarin, Coumadin, etc., even salad greens. Patients are warned about that when they are started on the medications.
> 
> Perhaps you should look up some other recipes before making a blanket statement about length of cooking times and/or cook some yourself. Some people cook even longer. Some people a little shorter. Depends on the texture you like. It also depends on whether you are using brand new leaves or full-size leaves. I use full-size leaves for my traditional type preparation, which is the only kind I've ever seen available commercially.


Actually, I wasn't making "a blanket statement" about the length of cooking times of collard greens generally. I have only seen the two featured recipes and I was commenting on the length of time _they_ were cooked.


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## taxlady (Jan 16, 2014)

They sound overcooked to me too. But, then I thought about it. I cook Danish red cabbage for 2 hours. They both have vinegar, so I guess that makes a difference. Keeps away that "overcooked cabbage" smell.


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## Kayelle (Jan 16, 2014)

Actually, being a novice to Collard's I didn't add any vinegar or sugar at all to last night's greens, and I thought they were great. They seem to have a slight bitter taste and I liked that just fine.


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## GotGarlic (Jan 16, 2014)

Addie said:


> I would think apple cider vinegar would be better than the harsh white vinegar. Or even rice vinegar. I love collard greens and cabbage, cauliflower, etc.



It's a matter of personal taste, like so much else (skim vs. whole milk for béchamel, anyone?). I prefer white vinegar to cider or rice vinegar in a lot of cases, although I'm a vinegar fiend


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## taxlady (Jan 16, 2014)

I don't know if this is the case in the US, but here in Quebec, almost all the white vinegar is made from alcohol made from petroleum products. 

I did find that Loblaws, etc. carry a President's Choice white vinegar made from grain alcohol. I bought some for when someone really wants white vinegar on/with food. The other kind lives under my sink with the other cleaning products.


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## GotGarlic (Jan 16, 2014)

pacanis said:


> I don't think there's anything I eat that don't like the flavor of "as is" as well as seasoned or sauced. Spinach, B sprouts, even cabbage I'd have no problem eating plain if that's all there was.
> I was just curious if collard greens can be enjoyed by themself. They sound like how Andy M describes cauliflower



They have a bitter flavor, like most brassicas, which some people enjoy and some not so much. This is a traditional preparation for collards. I found later in life that I like cooked greens better (I still don't like them much) with some sort of pork product and vinegar in them, but you can certainly try them with less and see what you think.


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## GotGarlic (Jan 16, 2014)

> Actually, I wasn't making "a blanket statement" about the length of cooking times of collard greens generally. I have only seen the two featured recipes and I was commenting on the length of time they were cooked.



Actually, what you said was:



Mad Cook said:


> The length of cooking seems a bit extreme. Collard greens are in the brassica (cabbage) family? Right? None of the cabbage family are improved by long cooking.



It seems to me that many cabbage recipes are cooked for a long time, like stuffed cabbage rolls, for instance. Collards are pretty tough.


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## taxlady (Jan 16, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> ...
> It seems to me that many cabbage recipes are cooked for a long time, like stuffed cabbage rolls, for instance. Collards are pretty tough.


And I think that is why I can't stand cabbage rolls. I do like cabbage.


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## cave76 (Jan 16, 2014)

medtran49 said:


> You have to be careful with any kind of greens when taking Warfarin, Coumadin, etc., even salad greens. Patients are warned about that when they are started on the medications.



A bit off topic, but I wasn't the first one to bring it up-------- about warfarin and Vit K (green leafies)

It's not just greens. Cauliflower (a brassica also) is fairly high in Vit K.
But head/iceberg lettuce has less Vit K in it than Romaine. So, with some care salads can be eaten if you use head lettuce.

I'm the Vit K Kueen!


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## GotGarlic (Jan 16, 2014)

taxlady said:


> I don't know if this is the case in the US, but here in Quebec, almost all the white vinegar is made from alcohol made from petroleum products.
> 
> I did find that Loblaws, etc. carry a President's Choice white vinegar made from grain alcohol. I bought some for when someone really wants white vinegar on/with food. The other kind lives under my sink with the other cleaning products.



I grew up eating homemade salad dressing, German potato salad, marinated veggie salads, pickles, meat marinades, etc., made with white vinegar. It's sold with all the other vinegars in the grocery store.


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## GotGarlic (Jan 16, 2014)

taxlady said:


> And I think that is why I can't stand cabbage rolls. I do like cabbage.



Well, again, it's a matter of personal taste. You like Danish cabbage cooked for two hours, but not cabbage rolls. Who can say why? Um, I'm going to guess comfort food memories


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## GotGarlic (Jan 16, 2014)

medtran49 said:


> Probably if you didn't add in the sweetness with molasses or brown sugar.  I actually had to add extra when I made them the other night because I got a little heavy handed when I added the molasses (don't measure anymore) and they were a bit sweet.  You really aren't adding that much anyway compared to everything else so you just get the vinegary taste.



Yeah, "bag of collard greens" and 2 tbsp white vinegar is not going to taste harsh, even with an added bottle of beer  For a bag of collards, visualize an entire head of cabbage unrolled.


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## Steve Kroll (Jan 16, 2014)

I love collards. My favorite preparation is to cook them with smoked ham hocks. I don't use much else in the way of seasoning other than a few shakes of hot sauce, and I don't think I've ever cooked them with vinegar (although it sounds pretty good). And yes, they do require longer cooking time than cabbage. Unlike green cabbage, they don't have the sulfur issue with overcooking.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 16, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> Those sound great MT.
> 
> Here's what went on at last night's dinner thread:
> 
> ...



Day two is even better!

For breakfast split and butter a couple pieces of cornbread, place it in a cast iron skillet to "toast", serve with favorite jam.  Drain the greens and heat them up in a skillet, top with eggs and cover until the eggs are more or less poached.  If you are up to it have a glass of "potlikker" instead of juice!

Delish in a dish!


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## taxlady (Jan 16, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> I grew up eating homemade salad dressing, German potato salad, marinated veggie salads, pickles, meat marinades, etc., made with white vinegar. It's sold with all the other vinegars in the grocery store.


So did I. But, I heard about the petroleum and quit using white vinegar for food a long time ago, and now I much prefer other vinegars. I don't know that there is anything wrong with petroleum based white vinegar, but it creeps me out.


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## taxlady (Jan 16, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> Well, again, it's a matter of personal taste. You like Danish cabbage cooked for two hours, but not cabbage rolls. Who can say why? Um, I'm going to guess comfort food memories


It doesn't have that cooked cabbage, sulphury smell. I think it's the vinegar.

I actually have fond memories of my farmor's (father's mother) Swedish cabbage rolls.


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## Kayelle (Jan 16, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> Day two is even better!
> 
> For breakfast split and butter a couple pieces of cornbread, place it in a cast iron skillet to "toast", serve with favorite jam.  Drain the greens and heat them up in a skillet, top with eggs and cover until the eggs are more or less poached.  If you are up to it have a glass of "potlikker" instead of juice!
> 
> Delish in a dish!



We ate it all up last night GG. Guess what's on my shopping list for next week?


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 16, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> We ate it all up last night GG. Guess what's on my shopping list for next week?



Don't be afraid to try the frozen ones, they are very good and take much less time to prepare!


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## Steve Kroll (Jan 16, 2014)

taxlady said:


> So did I. But, I heard about the petroleum and quit using white vinegar for food a long time ago, and now I much prefer other vinegars. I don't know that there is anything wrong with petroleum based white vinegar, but it creeps me out.



TL, white vinegar is made from corn. Or at least it is in the US.

EDIT: I stand corrected. A little research indicates that the acetic acid used in some vinegar can come from petroleum sources, but it must be labeled accordingly.


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## CarolPa (Jan 17, 2014)

pacanis said:


> Can you eat these plain?
> They sound like they need a lot of doctoring up to make them palatable.




I agree that something you don't like needs doctoring up, but I like the taste of them.  I do cook them a long time, but it's such a low heat that it's really just steaming them.  I like them really, really soft and wilted down, something like canned spinach.  I don't use any bacon or pork fat because I want it to be healthy, and I do not like the taste of "sweet" so I would not want any brown sugar etc in them and I also don't like the taste of vinegar.  I like the taste of the greens, and they ARE flavored with the onion, garlic and mushrooms.  I check and stir them occasionally and it might now be an hour that I cook them, depends on how long it takes them to soften to where I want them.  

I like most veggies plain, or maybe with just a bit of butter and salt.  No sauces etc.


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## CarolPa (Jan 17, 2014)

pacanis said:


> I don't think there's anything I eat that don't like the flavor of "as is" as well as seasoned or sauced. Spinach, B sprouts, even cabbage I'd have no problem eating plain if that's all there was.
> I was just curious if collard greens can be enjoyed by themself. They sound like how Andy M describes cauliflower



Pac, if you eat cooked spinach you could eat cooked greens.  I can eat raw spinach as in a salad, but greens are very tough and I don't think I would like them raw.  Most people who cook greens add some fat pork to it.  I took all the recipes I saw and used the procedure, but changed the ingredients to what I thought I would like.  You can also chop them up and add them to soup.


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## cave76 (Jan 17, 2014)

I make saag-----""Indian saag is a curry of cooked mustard or similar 'bitter' greens (kale, collards, turnip greens), and spinach or similar mild greens (chard, bok choy, beet greens). Any combination of greens works! Use more spices and peppers for hot saag, or less for mild."


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## skilletlicker (Jan 17, 2014)

Hi folks.  Haven't been around for a while, but it's nice to see y'all again.


medtran49 said:


> I don't think anybody would want to eat them raw...


If you get the whole plant cut off at ground level, there will be some younger, more tender leaves at the center that are great raw mixed with lettuce in a salad.

I like collards, turnip and mustard greens separate or together, cooked in a stock made from smoked pork neck bones, onion, celery and poblano pepper.  It takes 3 or 4 hrs. to break down all the connective tissue that holds the spine together and then you're left with a lot of little bones and stuff that you can't pick out of the greens if you cook them together.  If you make the stock the night before and drain and cool it you get a smoked pork and pepper flavored jello. Simmer the greens in that for an hour or two you've got something insanely delicious.


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## pacanis (Jan 18, 2014)

medtran49 said:


> ...Once starting to boil start adding the collards a good handful at a time, pressing down and mixing up as they start to soften...


 
How do you prep the collards, Med, or don't you? By "handful" do you mean handfuls of whole leaves, stems and all? I didn't realize the leaves were so big...


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## medtran49 (Jan 18, 2014)

The ones I grow can have huge leaves, as in close to a foot across, because I only grow a few plants, besides the fact that It's just the 2 of us. I don't chop off the whole plant. I cut off the leaves close to the stalk at the bottom and let the plant continue to grow. One grew to almost 4' tall last year before it got too hot and I pulled it out of ground. 

Anyway, I wash the leaves to get off any dirt or insects as I try to use as little as possible insecticide and/or use organic methods to cut down on pests. Cut out the biggest part of the vein then fold the leaves in half lengthwise, if it's really big make a cut lengthwise to quarter it, then cut horizontally in a couple of inch widths down length of leaf. I usually stack several leaves together and do this. 

I've used the new leaves in soups and such but don't think I'd want to eat them raw.


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## pacanis (Jan 18, 2014)

ahh... so they are more like ribbons... and you are cutting out most of the stem.
Then I can assume you can eat your recipe with just a fork and not have to use a knife?


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## medtran49 (Jan 18, 2014)

Definitely no knife needed.


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## pacanis (Jan 18, 2014)

Thanks. Obviously I've never eaten a leafy vegetable this big.
For all I knew it was to be cut and eaten from the plate, like George Costanza and a Snickers bar.


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