New Orleans Collard Greens Recipes

THE COLLARD GREEN MELT

Steps:

• For the collard greens: Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant and cooked through. Add the sugar, red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, red pepper powder, Creole seasoning, black pepper, salt and 1 cup water and cook until the flavors to meld and develop, about 10 minutes. Add the collard greens in batches if necessary, waiting a few minutes for the collard greens to begin to break down in the pot likker (the liquid in the pot) before adding the rest. Allow to cook over low to medium heat until you achieve the desired texture and the greens have an agreeable amount of salt, spice and acid, 2 to 3 hours. Let the collards cool in their pot likker and reserve until ready to prepare your sandwich. (This can be done a day or more ahead of time.)
• For the coleslaw: Add the cabbage, mayonnaise, onion, vinegar, pepper and some salt to a large mixing bowl. Wearing gloves, mix with your hands, massaging the cabbage to break it down in the mayonnaise. (It should yield less than a quarter of the original volume when it's all said and done.) Taste to make sure you have enough salt and vinegar. Reserve in the refrigerator, as it tastes best on the sandwich as a cold component. (This can be done up to a day ahead of time.)
• For the pickled cherry pepper Russian dressing: Mix up the mayonnaise, cherry peppers, ketchup, red pepper powder, hot sauce, paprika, black pepper and some salt in a bowl.
• For the sandwich: Brush some butter on both sides of each slice of rye bread and toast on both sides on a nonstick griddle or in a large nonstick saute pan. On two slices of bread, place a slice of Swiss cheese and allow to melt fully (covering the pan or putting a dome over the bread on the flattop will facilitate the melting process).
• Meanwhile, heat some greens in a saute pan. Place a handful of coleslaw on a cheesy slice of rye bread. Place the other cheesy slice of rye on top of that. Spoon your collard greens on top of that slice, being careful not to bring too much of the pot likker with them as this will make for a soggy end product. Dress the third slice of rye with a liberal slather of the Russian dressing and place it face-down on top of the collards. Cut it in half and serve.

NEW ORLEANS GREENS

Steps:

• Place the bacon into a large stock pot over medium heat, and pan-fry until crisp and brown, turning often, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon, allow to cool, and crumble when cooled. Set bacon aside.
• Pour water into the pot with the drippings, and stir in the onions, turnip, green and red bell peppers, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, black pepper, hot pepper sauce, and celery seed. Bring to a boil, and stir in the mustard greens. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until greens are very tender, at least 2 hours. Crumble bacon into the greens to serve.
• For canning, sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the greens into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large dial-gauge or weighted-gauge pressure canner. Place the jars into the pressure canner, and add water to completely cover the jars. Seal the pressure canner, place over medium heat, and bring to 12 pounds of pressure. Reduce heat just enough to hold the pressure steady, and process for 75 minutes, or the length of time recommended for your area. Remove from heat, and allow pressure in the canner to release gradually; remove the lid, and remove hot jars with a canning tongs.
• Place jars onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

LOUISIANA COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• To prepare greens, cut away the tough stalks and remove all stems from the collards. Discard any leaves that are bruised or yellow. Wash the collards thoroughly to remove the grit, 2 or 3 times, until the water runs clear. Dry thoroughly -- you can do this easily by rolling them up in a clean dish towel. (I sometimes use two bags of pre-cut and prewashed collard green pieces from the produce section, but I still break off any large pieces of stem as they tend to be tough even after cooking.).
• Place a large pot or cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. When it is heated, add the onion, bay leaves and ham hock. (If using bacon, cook beforehand and then add when the greens go in.) Cook the mixture until the onions are soft and are starting to brown, about 8-10 minutes. To prevent the garlic from burning, add it just a few minutes before the onions are done.
• Pack in greens, pushing them down into the pot. Add the broth, vinegar and sugar. Bring up to a boil, turning the greens over occasionally with a wooden spoon as they wilt. Lower to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 1 hour. Taste the "pot liquor" (broth) and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired.
• Cover again and let cook for an additional 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Some recipes use a lot less cooking time, but this additional time really helps all the flavors come together. (If using the bagged pre-cut collard greens, they may only have to cook for another 1 to 2 hours.) Remove the bay leaves and ham hock, dicing up and adding any meat from the ham hock, drain off excess cooking liquid, and serve.

SOUTHERN-STYLE COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Brown 4 slices diced bacon in a pot; drain on paper towels. Add 1 cup diced onion to the pot and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 pound thawed frozen collard greens, 1 cup chicken broth and water to cover; simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the bacon, some butter, salt and pepper.

BROOKLYN-STYLE COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place turkey wing or hocks in a very large pot and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium and simmer until water is reduced by about half.
• Meanwhile, plunge greens into a sink full of lightly salted cold water, drain and then rinse well with cold fresh water. Trim or remove biggest stems. Place five or six leaves on top of one another and roll like a cigar, lengthwise. Cut collards into inch-wide ribbons, then, keeping collards rolled, cut ribbons in half.
• Turn heat under pot to high. Add vinegar, one teaspoon salt and the garlic, then add as many greens as pot will hold. Wait until greens cook down, then add remaining greens. Turn heat to a simmer, cover and cook until greens for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add sugar, onion and crushed red pepper, cover again and continue to simmer until tender, another 15 to 30 minutes; time will vary depending on toughness of greens. Serve.

LOWCOUNTRY COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Tear the greens from their stems. Take a handful of greens, roll them up lengthwise and slice them into bite-size pieces. Add the sliced greens to an empty, clean sink full of cool water and wash them, removing all grit, sand and debris. Drain sink and rinse greens thoroughly with cold water until water becomes clear.
• Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add 4 cups of water to the pot. (This will become your potlikker.) Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the cleaned greens by the handful, stirring them until wilted before adding more.
• Add the smoked turkey, bouillon cubes, garlic and onion powders, apple cider vinegar, black pepper and red-pepper flakes to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover and lower heat to medium-low. Cook until greens are completely tender, at least 2 hours. Most of the water should have evaporated by this point, with just enough left to cover the bottom of the pot, and the meat should pull away from the bones.
• Take the meat out of the pot, transfer to a cutting board, and shred the meat with two forks. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and onion powder as needed. To cut bitterness, add sugar; if you'd like more tang, add more vinegar. Serve hot.