Southern Style Collard Greens Recipe. Please welcome Hank Shaw as he shares a Southern favorite, collard greens! Elise. I grew up with a healthy affection for sauteed greens: Bright, vibrant, spiked with garlic and red pepper and maybe a little citrus at the end. This was how greens were supposed to be served—alive, vigorous and most of all, emerald green.

So you can imagine my shock when I first encountered Southern- style collard greens. It was more than 2. I was one of the only white employees of a black- owned weekly newspaper in Madison, WI. At some point in springtime we all gathered for a company picnic, and these greens were part of the spread. Army green, stewing in an olive drab pot liquor, with chunks of smoked pork floating around.

I asked my boss, Ms. Franklin, what this was. She almost fell over laughing. Crockpot Brats And Sauerkraut more.

Those are collards, son! You’ve never seen collards before?”I hadn’t, being white, from New Jersey and from a largely Italian- Jewish- WASP town to boot.

• You won't miss the meat with this vegan southern collard greens recipes. Savory vegetable broth, smoked salt, fresh onion & garlic and red pepper flakes adds.
• Crispy bacon, sauteed onion, ham, and garlic perfect these Southern-Style Collard Greens, making them an essential part of your traditional Southern.

Ms. Franklin explained that collards are so tough they need long cooking, and aren’t really very good without some sort of smoked pork; a ham hock was best. And then she told me the secret to collards: It’s the pot liquor, the richly flavored, smoky soup at the bottom of the collard pot. She said that’s where all the vitamins went after you stewed the heck out of the greens.

Some people reuse the pot liquor for their next batch of collards, and some add more ingredients (beans, more pork, etc) and make it a soup. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away. Southern collard greens, you should know, are one of those recipes that has unlimited variations. Each region, even each cook, has his or her own twist. This is how we had them at our company picnics, so long ago. Or at least it’s how I remember them. Ms. Franklin’s gone now, bless her soul.

This one’s for you, Betty! From the recipe archive, first posted 2.

South Your Mouth: Southern Style Collard Greens. So, if you didn't know this already, we Southerners are pretty set in our ways when it comes to cooking certain dishes. Oh, we’ll eat it your way and be polite about it but we’re secretly talking smack about it under our breath. Don’t that heifer know you don’t use salad dressing in potato salad? Sweet baby Jesus, did she seriously put sugar in the macaroni and cheese?

She used fat- free cream cheese in that icing. Bless her heart. And cooking greens is no exception. We all do it differently.

I've seen more than one Southern food “expert” on television cook them in ways that made me grasp my chest and lean up against the door frame for a minute. I’m going to tell you how I cook them. This is how I was raised to cook them. And this is how I like them best! Southern Style Collard Greens.

Salt to taste. Wash and prep: When I get collards, they’re usually given to me by someone who grew them in their own garden so I have to take extra care when cleaning them (it's not uncommon to find leaves, pine straw, dirt or maybe even a small critter in the bag). Start by tearing each leaf off the stalk and placing the leaves in a clean sink full of cold water. Plunge the leaves several times into the water to clean them.

Discard the stalk and any other debris. Drain the sink and rinse well. One- by- one, trim the center rib (midrib) from each leaf, cutting each leaf into two halves, discarding the rib.

Easy fresh collard greens recipe simmered in chicken broth, onions, red pepper, and garlic. Full of southern, soulful flavor. Learn how to make collard greens. Southern Collard Greens, that delicious green vegetable served year round in most Southern households. It’s the mainstay side dish of most every New Years Day meal.

Add the leaves back to the sink and fill with cold water again to ensure they’re clean. Drain collards. A lot of folks skip this step but I think taking the time to trim that thick, fibrous rib out ensures your collards will be tender and not bitter. Chiffonade: Place 6- 8 leaves in a stack and roll tightly (like you’re rolling a cigar).

Slice roll into 1 1/2 inch ribbons. Continue the process with remaining collards then set aside until ready to cook.

Slow cook this Southern style collard greens recipe for a down home dinner idea. This side dish recipe is easy to prepare. Give your go-to lasagna the week off, and try this hearty, meaty baked pasta that’s easier to make and just as much of a crowd-pleaser. This delicious. This is as Southern as you can get. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Cook: Using the biggest skillet or widest pot you have (that has a lid), cook bacon and bacon grease over medium- high heat, uncovered, until bacon is almost crisp. Add onions and continue cooking until onions are translucent and bacon is crisp. Add as much of the collards as will fit in the skillet and toss to coat in the bacon drippings.

Cover skillet with lid and let collards cook down (wilt) for 2- 3 minutes. Add more collards and repeat this step until all collards are in the skillet. Reduce heat to low, salt to taste and continue cooking, covered, for about an hour or until collards are as tender as you like them; stir occasionally.

If your collards don’t put off enough pot liquor (rendered liquid from the greens), add chicken stock or water, 1/4 cup at a time, to ensure there’s a little liquid (maybe a 1/4 inch) in the bottom of the skillet at all times. This is a basic recipe. Lots of folks like to add other seasonings such as red peppers, garlic, red pepper flakes, currants, sugar, vinegar, etc. Feel free to add anything that suits your fancy. I will sometimes add a pinch of sugar and a splash of vinegar but for the most part I like them plain and simple the best.

Collards are typically served with pepper vinegar on the side.*Substitute vegetable oil for bacon grease if necessary then ask the Lord to forgive you for throwing out your bacon grease.**I have absolutely no idea if this is true or not but I've always heard not to cook collards until after the first frost to ensure they’re not bitter. PRINTABLE RECIPE.