The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

A Southern Tradition

Written by David W | Aug 29, 2018 1:30:00 PM

 

Every summer my family gets together for a reunion. From old to young, it’s great to have every generation together to share stores from the past and to make new memories. A lot of the fond memories we share in my family would be of my grandfather's cooking. Stories from picking veggies in his garden to the BBQ sauce he made for his ribs.

Reunions for our family are filled with southern classics like Mac n’ Cheese, BBQ Ribs, Black Eyed Peas, Cornbread and my favorite, Collard Greens. I had a conversation with my grandmother on how she makes her greens and I wanted to do a healthier version. Gone are the days of using fatback for flavor and seasoning! I used a little bacon and veggie stock to lighten this recipe up. You can use this recipe for other leafy greens such as kale, swiss chard, and turnip greens. 

Remixed Southern Collard Greens

2 bunches of Collard Greens (washed, stems removed and chopped into 1-inch pieces)

1 Yellow Onion, medium diced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

4 Pieces of Bacon, sliced ½ in. thick

Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Cup Vegetable Stock

3 Cups of Water 

  1. In a large stockpot, sauté bacon on medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside. Leave the rendered fat.
  2. Add the red pepper flakes and diced onions to the pot and sweat the onions until they are translucent. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
  3. Stir in your collard greens in batches. Then add the vinegar, stock and water cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the leaves are tender.
  4. Top the greens with the crispy bacon. 

A great vegan or vegetarian option would be to omit the bacon and sauté the onions in bit of grapeseed oil. You can add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke for that smoky flavor. Check out some of our upcoming vegan and vegetarian classes for more ideas on how to mix up your veggies during the week.

 
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