Need Suggestions on Cooking Collards

[haha]

Hi- I am trying to learn some ways to cook collards other than my old Southern way of boil them to death with salt pork, carrot, onion, garlic and a couple dried chiles. Not that that I don't like them this way; I do. But I get tired of drinking about a quart or so of the left over juice, which I suspect has most of the minerals that once were in the greens. I had a great recipe that was in a little blue book that I bought in the mid-70s in Guaymas. My memory is that the dish was called quelites. I can't find any reference to quelites online, and somewhere along the way I lost the book.

Right now I have several bunches cooking slowly in a covered Creuset skillet, mostly in olive oil in which I browned a few serranos and some garlic and onion. I am watching it pretty closely, as I do not want to come home and fin my pan wrecked. I make other greens well this way, as they cook quickly- but collards while very good are also very tough!~

Any favorite methods or recipes?

Ha

[brewer12345]

I like collards in soup. A favorite is some heirloom beans (ojo de cabra or teppary work well), potatoes, some sausage of your choice, onions, and finely diced collards. Can be spiced either continental (thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaves, maybe some marjoram) or laitino/New Mexican (ample green or red chiles, garlic, cumin, possibly some ground corainder or a dash of cinnamon or cloves).

[Sarah in SC]

I put some rice in a bowl to pour the pot liquor from the collards over. And maybe use less salt than you, but pretty much I'm down with the southern method. Plus hot sauce.

I do like adding chopped collards where I might use spinach, steaming them in stir-fry and like Brewer, in soups.

[haha]

Thanks for the suggestions. I also found the reference to quelites; but I must not have been using collards to make them. It seems that originally wild pot herbs like lambs' quarters were used, and spinach is suggested as supermarket substitute.

My collards got done in time for lunch, and next time I will spice more heavily, but they are fine and they always make me feel strong. I have enough for at least one more meal, maybe two.

Sarah your use of the term pot liquor took me back. In our extended farm family men got first choice on a lot of foods, but pot liquor could only be drunk by expectant or nursing mothers. I followed this exclusion in my own family too, when qualified women were around (though I don't remember necessarily getting first choice on cuts ).

I have always felt a little strange drinking it myself, like I am breaking a taboo, but in small concentrated amounts I really like it.

Ha

[FIREd]

I use greens to make quiches or other egg dish (frittata, flan, etc...). Basically, I steam the greens in a pressure cooker, chop them and incorporate them in the egg mixture.

[bbbamI]

I had to eat collards a lot when I was a kid. Haven't touched 'em since.

My mom used to cook them like chitlins chitterlings...she boiled the crap out of them.