You might have noticed that I have a thing for collard greens. But until tonight, I've never had them the classic way -- Southern collards mixing some sort of porky pig product with some spice, stock, and onions. It wasn't so much a matter of disinterest, but rather loving the garlic butter variety so very much, that I just couldn't bear to do them any other way. (Until now!) To jump into the piggy goodness, I chose Epicurious' Collard Greens with Red Onions and Bacon.
There's a reason the classic is so widely loved -- the combination of pig, onion, spice, and collard greens is just divine. Strangely enough, this dish tasted and smelled like a meal one of my grandmothers used to make, that I not only avoided like the plague growing up, but one that released a smell through the house that I abhorred. (I think it was some sort of bacon-cabbage thing ... maybe?) Regardless, it is all good now -- coming together into an excellent mixture of rich smokiness while still tapping into old-school nostalgia. Go figure.
The hour of simmering might seem like a lot, but it's the perfect amount of time to figure out what to have along with it, and prepare it. (Part two of the meal to come.)
Things to keep in mind:
- While quite easy to put together, you definitely should keep an eye on the simmering. I made mine with a lower temperature, shorter cooking time, and with extra stock, but it still got a little darker than I'd like, and started to burn on the bottom (although it still tasted wonderful).
- Ignore the suggestion to get rid of the ribs of the collards. I cracked off the stems, but left the rest in tact when I sliced the leaves -- they wilted perfectly and were a welcome addition.
- Any fatty pig product will do. Since I did not have bacon, I used up some chunks of pig fat that have been hanging out in my freezer. Another great twist would be some pig fat to simmer the greens in, and some crispy fried prosciutto to top the dish.
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