Collard Greens, Two Ways

Above: Smoky Collard Greens, from Claire Robinson's Five Ingredient Fix. Below: Sauteed Collard Greens with Prosciutto, a la Piccina Cucina

 

We apparently have a penchant for bitter greens in this house. Actually, I think we probably just have a penchant for anything we can smother in olive oil, but hey, let's take the healthy excuse. Our latest discovery, adding to the broccoli rabe and brussels sprouts repertoire, is collard greens. So good! The first time I made them, I did them just like I do broccoli rabe, except I added a little (ahem) butter in with the olive oil. This time, I added a little prosciutto (just getting healthier and healthier). Served it with pork chops (mmm, pork with a side of pork!).

Another great way to make them, as I discovered in Five Ingredient Fix, is to sautee them with paprika, cayenne, and onions for a smoky flavor. I served those with aglio e olio.

Both ways are good (or all three ways, I suppose), and since it's a side dish, hey, try them all.

SMOKY COLLARD GREENS
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 lbs (about 2 large bunches) collard greens, stems chopped off, sliced into thick ribbons, and halved

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or sautee pan over medium-high. Add the onion, paprika, and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened. Add 1/2 a cup of water to the pot (SIX ingredients!). When the water simmers, add the greens (pack them in, they'll wilt). Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes or so. Remove the lid, toss the greens, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer until the greens are completely cooked and the liquid has all evaporated, about 10 more minutes. Serve warm.

SAUTEED COLLARD GREENS, WITH OR WITHOUT PROSCIUTTO
1-2 tbsp or so olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 slices prosciutto, torn into smaller pieces (optional)
1/2 - 1 tbsp butter
1-2 large bunches collard greens, stems chopped off, sliced into thick ribbons, and halved
1 cup chicken broth

Prep your greens, then add olive oil and butter to a large sautee pan over medium heat. If using prosciutto, add to pan and cook until a little crisp. Add the garlic. Let the garlic cook a few minutes without getting brown, then add all your greens to the pan. Let them start to wilt, tossing to combine. Add chicken broth, and toss again. Continue to cook and rotate until the greens wilt and most of the water has boiled off. Takes longer than rabe, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Smoked Pineapple Chicken

(adapted from 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes, by Dave DeWitt)

I've gotta say, this cookbook is really a winner. I mean, OK, this is only my second recipe from it, but both have been seriously good. And not too tough to make, really. This had more ingredients than I usually like to see, and really, it was worth it. It really turned out kind of like a paella. It's smoky (from the chipotles), creamy in texture with nice bites of veggies, and all-around satisfying. The book says it's Guatemalan. Plus, I feel like I've been in a little bit of a cooking dry spell, and this revived me!

I will say that I balked and did not add the final ingredient - raisins. I don't know, I just can't do it. It probably would've been good, and I probably need to get over it. I mean, I love raisins...I'm just not sure about them cooked in food. How unadventurous of me, I know. (If you're a better person than I, you can add an 1/8 of a cup with the reserved broth at the end.)

But I did go for the pineapple! And you should, too!

OK:
1.5 lbs of chicken parts, cut up, or 5 drumsticks
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp ground pepper, plus more to taste
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
1-2 tsp finely chopped parsley, divided
1/2 red bell pepper, seeds and stems removed, finely sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeds and stems removed, chopped
1-1.5 chipotle chiles, soaked in water and then pureed
2 garlic cloved, chopped
1.5 carrots, sliced
1/4 lb sugar snap or snow peas, or both
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
A pinch of Naga Jolokia, if you have it
3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, with liquid from the whole can
2 cups uncooked rice, long or medium-grain

In a large pot, combine the chicken with 2 cups of water, salt to taste, pepper to taste, and 1 tsp parsley. This will cook your chicken and make broth. Cook for about 25 minutes. Remove the chicken, reserve the broth, and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces (careful, it's hot!).

To a certain extent, you can start the next step while the chicken is cooking, but unless your timing is really good, you may have to turn the veggies off mid-way (for example, I started cooking this, added the rice and chicken, turned off the heat, then added the chicken and turned the heat back on). In any case: in another large pot, heat the oil over low. Add the onion and parsley and let the onion get translucent without browning. Stir in the bell peppers, chipotle puree, garlic, carrots, peas, pineapple, oregano, turmeric, salt, pepper, Naga, and cumin. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their liquid, along with the rice, the chicken, and 2 cups of broth. Mix and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed - just like you'd cook rice. Enjoy!