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Country-Style Greens

Type: Vegetables
Serves: 6 people

Recipe Ingredients

2   Fresh collard - turnip, or
  Greens
1 tablespoon 15mlLard or rendered bacon fat
1 tablespoon 15mlOnion - minced (medium)
1/4 lb 113g / 4ozSmoked slab bacon or ham *
2 cups 474mlWater
  Salt and freshly ground - black pepper, to taste
1   Louisiana-style hot sauce

Recipe Instructions

* cut in 1/2-inch dices or 1/2 pound ordinary sliced bacon or ham Contrary to rumor, greens do not need hours of boiling in a sea of liquid, as this Mississippi recipe proves. What they do need, however, is the flavor of smoked slab bacon or ham; if you must substitute ordinary bacon or ham, you'll need twice as much. Greens are the traditional accompaniment to pork or ham; they also pair up well with corn bread or candied yams.

1. Trim away and discard the tough stems of greens. To loosen grit, place the leaves and the remaining tender stems (you should have about 2 quarts) in a large bowl, cover with lukewarm water, and soak for 5 minutes. Rinse several times in lukewarm water to wash away any remaining sand.

2. Melt lard in a large, heavy, non-reactive pot with a lid. (Do not use an aluminum pot; if possible, use one with an enamel coating.) Add onions and bacon. Fry together over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions wilt and bacon starts to brown (about 5 minutes).

3. Add greens and the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, lower heat to medium, and cook until greens are tender, with just a little crunch (about 20 minutes).

4. Uncover, raise heat to high, and boil off some of the excess water (about 5 minutes). Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste, and serve hot (dish should be slightly soupy).

Serves 6.

From "Regional American Classics", California Culinary Academy, Chevron Chemical Company, 1987.

Source:
Cooking Light, Sept 1994, page 85

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