Collard Greens
A time-honored tradition in southern kitchens, greens have long held an important place on the table. In fact, collard greens became the official vegetable of South Carolina when Governor Nikki Haley signed it into law on June 2, 2011.
With so many greens out there, I thought the collards deserved a spot of their own. Greens are any sort of cabbage in which the green leaves do not form a compact head. They are mostly kale, collards, turnip, spinach, and mustard greens. Typically collard greens are a fall or winter vegetable and taste better after thriving in colder weather.
I’ve actually never made collard greens before, but I figured it would be a perfect side dish for the fish and it really was a hit! This is definitely going into my winter rotation.
I basically got a bunch of collard greens and cut out the stems (only slightly tedious). I chopped the leaves up roughly and sauteed them with garlic, onions, a tiny bit of olive oil and added some vegetable stock to cut out the bitterness and it was just perfect.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound collard greens
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup of vegetable broth or water
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
Remove and discard stems and center ribs of collard greens. Chop coarsely into rough square inch pieces. Pour the oil into a skillet or dutch oven. Saute the chopped onion until brown. Add the garlic and saute until brown. Add the collards and saute for 5 minutes. Add water or vegetable broth. Sauté collard mixture, stirring, until heated through, about 10 minutes.
Drain excess liquid into a collander. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle collards with lemon juice and toss well. Serve hot.