Creamed Collards Recipe Southern Recipe For Hand

CREAMED COLLARDS

Steps:

• Rinse collard greens. Trim and discard thick stems from bottom of greens and coarsely chop.
• Cook bacon, in batches, in a 8 quart stock pot over medium heat, 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in stock pot. Reserve 1/4 cup bacon.
• Add butter and onions to hot drippings in skillet. Saute onion 8 minutes or until tender. Add collards, in batches, and cook stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until wilted. Stir in chicken broth, next 3 ingredients and remaining bacon.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or to desired degree of tenderness. Drain collards, reserving 1 cup liquid.
• Stir in Bechamel Sauce. Stir in reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time to desired consistency. Sprinkle with reserved bacon.
• Bechamel Sauce: Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat, add shallots and garlic and saute l minute. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Increase heat to medium, gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg.

CREAMED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Fill a very large pot three-quarters full with water and bring to a boil. Add the collard greens to the water and make sure they are all well submerged. Return the water to a boil and simmer until the greens are tender and bright green, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the greens and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the greens well, squeezing out excess water with your hands or by placing in a kitchen towel and squeezing. Chop the greens finely and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a skillet or Dutch oven large enough to hold all of the greens. Add the garlic and shallots and cook over medium heat until softened but not browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook until reduced by half, about 25 minutes - watch carefully as the cream can quickly boil over! Add the greens and toss until warmed through. Season generously with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add to a serving dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

FRIED CHICKEN WITH "CREAMED" CORN AND QUICK COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• For the fried chicken: Bring 8 cups water, 1 cup of the salt, the peppercorns, sugar, bay leaves, garlic and onions to a low boil in a large pot. Remove from the heat, add 8 cups crushed ice and stir until cool. Taste to check if it is too salty, adding more water if necessary. Add the chicken to the brine and refrigerate for 6 hours.
• For the "creamed" corn: Allow yourself a large working surface. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs, moving slowly as they have a tendency to fly everywhere. Using the back of your knife, scrape the cobs to extract the "milk" into a bowl.
• In medium saute pan, heat the olive oil until almost smoking. Add the onions and cook until lightly caramelized. Add the corn kernels and "milk" and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a blender, pulse half of the corn with the stock to achieve a coarse consistency. Return the mixture to the pan with the remaining corn and heat through, reducing until desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a 5-quart Dutch oven (or similar pot), heat the canola oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, the remaining 2 tablespoons salt, the cayenne, celery seeds, paprika and ground black pepper. Pour the buttermilk into another medium mixing bowl.
• Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Designate one hand the wet hand and one hand the dry hand. Working one at a time, dredge each breast in the flour mix (dry hand), then in the buttermilk (wet hand) and then back in the flour mix (dry hand). Shake off the excess flour and put the chicken on a plate to dry. Repeat with the remaining breasts.
• Carefully place the chicken breasts, one by one, into the oil in the Dutch oven and cook for about 5 minutes, moving the pieces occasionally to avoid sticking. Turn over and cook until golden brown and an internal temperature of 180 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to rest for 5 minutes.
• For the quick collard greens: Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until caramelized. Add the sherry vinegar and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with half of the stock, reducing for 2 minutes. Add the collards in two batches and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining stock and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve the chicken with the collard greens and corn.

CREAMED BRAISING GREENS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until it foams. Add the garlic and shallot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened and golden, 5 minutes. Add the cream, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Add the nutmeg and salt to taste. Using a hand blender, purée until smooth.
• In a large pot, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over high heat until it foams. Add the greens and cook, stirring constantly, until tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and add the cream mixture. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer until cooked through, 5 minutes more. Taste for nutmeg and salt, season to taste and serve hot.