The Mission:
Collard Greens
Collard greens are a southern tradition for New Years Day, but one that I've never cared too much for. That is, until I tried cooking them the way that Thomas Keller talks about cooking them on page 2 (yes -- PAGE TWO!!!) of his cookbook,
Ad Hoc At Home. If you think that collard greens join the list of mushy, stringy, slimy greens swimming in hot greasy soup (not that I think that, but you might...) you can just forget that thought! With this method, the greens are wilted in hot grease and then covered and baked in the oven -- they come out with great flavor and texture, including some bits around the edges that got thin, crispy, and intense. Honestly, I couldn't believe how much I liked them.
The Method:
Preheat the oven to a moderate heat -- the recipe called for 325F, but I accidentally set it at 375F for at least half the time, and things turned out fine. That's really nice to know, just in case you want to throw something else in there to cook, right?
Wash the greens well, getting rid of any wilted or discolored/damaged greens. Tear the heavy center stem away from the leaves and discard. Tear the greens up into what I would call "big bite" pieces and dry well using a salad spinner. (Note -- if you don't have a salad spinner, you can do what I used to do, which is put the damp greens in a cotton pillowcase and take it outside -- sling the pillowcase around and around until the neighbors think you're crazy, and then run back inside -- your greens will be nice and dry!)
In a heavy dutch oven (or other covered pan that can go from stove top to oven) over moderate heat, render the fat from a piece of bacon. I used one slice of Benton's bacon (a local thick cut, hickory smoked bacon) and cooked it until it was done, but still pliable, and then set the piece of bacon aside. Add to that some butter -- I used what looked like an equal amount of butter to bacon fat -- and stir around in the grease until melted and the fats are well mixed.
Add the greens to the fat and toss around over med-high heat until wilted (you may have to start with only part of the greens and add the rest as they wilt down). Stir in some salt -- don't be shy! At this point I took my handy kitchen shears and cut the bacon up into bite size strips and tossed it back into the greens.
Put the lid on the pan and stick it all into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.
The Result:
Oh. My. Goodness.
This makes me proud to be a southerner.
Notes:
On quantity and price -- during the week of New Year's the grocery stores were full of huge bunches of collard greens, some the length of your arm, at really low prices. I got a couple of bunches that weighed about 2 pounds each for $1.29 a bunch. I threw at least 1/3 of each bunch away, as the outer leaves were blemished, and cooked enough for four people. Now that the "collard green week" has passed, the bunches are considerably smaller (about a pound) but the leaves are younger and more tender; the price also went back up to $2.49 a bunch. Still, considering taste and nutrition, they are probably good bang for the buck.
