Although I grew up in Europe and am influenced in the kitchen by those experiences, I was raised by Southern parents. Therefore, there was no lack of exposure to Southern cooking in my childhood home. When I think about Braised Greens (usually collard greens), I have ideas of large Dutch ovens of greens cooking down for hours with onions and a ham hock. When I was growing up, I wasn't a huge fan of the greens.
I didn't always like Braised Greens.
Fast forward to a couple of years ago when I visited a local BBQ place and one of the sides was collard greens. I live in the Pacific Northwest so any BBQ place is suspect to this girl who appreciates her southern roots. However, this one is worth its salt! I took a leap of faith (and succumbed to a kick-back to my childhood memories) and ordered them to go with my brisket. A.MAAAAA.Zing! There was something tangy about them, something sweet, something spicy … they were so good. They didn't make me gag and they made me wish I had appreciated them for longer than the time it took me to inhale that serving! So I started looking for recipes that sounded remotely like what I had tasted.
Enter Nancy Silverton, founder of La Brea Bakery and chef/co-owner of the Mozza Restaurant Group, with her cookbook Mozza at Home. She has a recipe for Spicy Braised Greens with Vinegar and Ham Hock that sounded really close to what I was looking for. She calls for three different kinds of greens (mustard greens, lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur kale, or in an Italian world, it is cavolo nero), escarole, loads of garlic, chile de arbol, vinegar, and ham hock. I used bits and pieces of her fabulous recipe and came up with what I have grown to crave!
{I highly recommend Nancy's cookbook. This link is in the above paragraph. It's designed for feeding lots of people and is arranged by menus. Lovely!)
The following photo shows lacinato (in the bowl), mustard greens (at the lower left), and collard greens (lower right). Personally, my favorite is straight up collard greens (must be my Southern showing through!).
How to prepare the greens
I like to cut the leaves off of the spine because I don't like the texture of them in the finished dish, but in the interest of zero-waste, you can chop them small and throw them in the pot. Another use for them is to add them to the blender for extra fiber and nutrition when you are making a smoothie. It won't change the flavor.
When you are washing and preparing the greens, you will think there's no way you need this many greens! Uncooked greens take up loads of room! But trust me, they cook WAY down and you'll be glad you used the whole six bunches.
Start with browning chopped bacon in a large Dutch oven.
Then add chopped onions and garlic.
Gradually add the greens to the pot, stirring as needed to move the ones on the bottom of the pot on top of the ones you just put in to help them wilt more quickly. If you are using more than one type of greens, put them in the pot in the order of how long it takes them to cook.
Season with salt, add the chiles and the vinegar. Cook covered on low for about 45 minutes or until the leaves are tender.
By the way .. any juice that comes off the greens is known as Pot Likker and yup, it is so delicious.
Other recipes you might like:
- Chuck Wagon Cowboy Beans
- Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts
- Hoppin' John Black-eyed Peas
- Whole Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower
Recipe
Braised Greens with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 bunches of greens kale, collard greens, mustard greens - use one single kind or mix and match, washed and torn into pieces
- ½ pound of bacon cut into pieces cross-wise
- 2 small yellow onions diced
- 1 cup garlic cloves chopped small
- 3-5 chiles de arbol or red pepper flakes to your taste
- Salt to taste
- ¾ cup of apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the bacon and cook it till it's brown. Add the onions and cook till they are translucent, then add the garlic. Stir till fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Gradually add the torn greens. Stir from the bottom of the pot after you've added new greens so the new ones will wilt more quickly. If you are using more than one variety, add them in order of how long they'll take to cook. Add the chiles, salt, and vinegar and allow to cook till the greens are very tender, about 45 minutes.
- Serve with grilled sausages, barbecue chicken, cornbread, cole slaw … I've even been known to eat them with eggs for breakfast!
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