Maybe I should rename this blog “The Accidental Collards” because I seem to have a lot of recipes featuring them. It’s true, but it’s also mainly because collards are plentiful here and cheap (I bought 4 big bunches from Abanitu Farm two weeks ago, stuck them in the mudroom, and thanks to cold temperatures, they are still good!). The fact that they are very good for you doesn’t hurt either.
The only thing is, sometimes I don’t always want to cook them for at least an hour. And sometimes you just don’t want to have soup-like texture all the time, particularly when you are recovering from a cold that has lasted two or more weeks.
This recipe is really easy- it’s basically stir fried collards. If you have it with sausages, it makes a pretty fantastic winter meal, along with a glass of good beer.
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
as much garlic as you like, minced
2 bunches collards, washed and destemmed
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
apple cider vinegar or hot pepper vinegar*
Slice the collards into ribbon-thin (about 1/4″ wide) strips by first flattening the leaves and piling them on top of each other, then rolling the collards, then slicing them (this method works for any green leaf, especially basil)– see photo above. Heat a skillet with 1-2 TB olive oil over med-high heat and when hot, add onions and garlic. Let soften for 5-7 minutes.
When the onion-garlic mixture is soft, add collards handful by handful, and stir them around. Keep doing this until all of the collards are in the pan, and until they soften/have absorbed the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with apple cider vinegar or hot pepper vinegar- you’ll be surprised by how much the vinegar will make a difference.
*hot pepper vinegar is easily made- just add 3 jalapenos or other spicy peppers into a cruet filled with 1 cup white vinegar and let rest in fridge for a long time (a tip I learned from Lee Bros). Mine was made since August and has spiced up nicely.
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