Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I answered you in the dinner thread, so I'll copy and paste. You just need the right recipe, Emeril's greens.
Dogboa loves greens, but I never liked them. I looked around for a recipe years ago since I knew he wanted some. Found this one, made it and discovered I liked greens. Made a convert out of Dogboa's brother who hated greens. He went back for thirds first time I made them for him.
The recipe is very forgiving. You can sub out dark brown or even light brown sugar for the molasses, and I usually use cider vinegar. Oh, the original recipe called for a bottle of beer as part of the liquid and I always use that. I cook them in a pressure cooker now so cooking time is much, much shorter, and don't use any liquid other than the beer and the water left on the leaves from rinsing them. I prefer to get the whole leaves and clean them myself so I can strip out the stem.
I'm with you OP. I think you have to grow up with them. (Fellow northerner here.) They even have canned collard greens, imagine how nasty they are.
DH used to love them, he would eat any kind of greens.
The key to really good collards that compare to spinach is that they MUST be fresh, not wilting or yellowish. I completely agree that cutting out the stems and any large ribs makes a difference. I got a chuckle when my born and bred southern GF, who has eaten collards (with reservations) all her life, discovered that she loved my fresh collards cut in 1" squares, boiled lightly for one hour in a little sugar and salt.
The mature, throw it all in the pot and boil into submission collard dish is a whole different animal that cries out for either Crystal hot sauce, or some vinegar type of dressing, as well as a chunk addition of some sort, be it ham pieces, bacon, or cubed veggies, such as carrot or parsnip, much as some turnip green recipes add cubes of the turnips.
Most people's greens that I've had used too much liquid. All that's needed is the ham/turkey and a little stock. Real simple but I like the natural taste of greens.
The recipe is very forgiving. You can sub out dark brown or even light brown sugar for the molasses, and I usually use cider vinegar. Oh, the original recipe called for a bottle of beer as part of the liquid and I always use that. I cook them in a pressure cooker now so cooking time is much, much shorter, and don't use any liquid other than the beer and the water left on the leaves from rinsing them. I prefer to get the whole leaves and clean them myself so I can strip out the stem.
I love collards and in fact, I had some leftovers from Christmas for lunch today. When I make them, I do the bolded. I put them in the slow cooker with chicken stock, use brown sugar, a bit of apple cider vinegar, an onion, some red pepper flakes and a ham hock (this past time I used a smoked turkey neck). I save time by using the prepackaged collards, though I can appreciate your point above that using whole leaves would get rid of the pesky stems.
But if you don't like them, OP, that is perfectly fine as well. No explanation required.
Collards are best served fresh, not from a can or from a freezer section. Everybody likes them different ways. I like mine boiled and seasoned with just a slab of fatback.
LOVE collared greens. I can cook a mean batch with some bacon grease garlic and thyme. I haven't found them out in CA but I do buy Grace's CG in a can. Not bad for canned veggies.
Jamaicans have something similar called Callaloo.
LOVE LOVE LOVE soul food.
I used to visit Harlem and The Bronx just for the food.
LOVE collards. Butter/olive oil and garlic. That's it. Cook til just wilted. so good for you, too.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
