a pot full of greens....

[warren0728]

so i spent a really relaxing weekend with a friend and we had some of these with our meals....a big pot of greens slow cooked for ever with bacon and such....man were they good! :aok:

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq75/ww0728/food/greens.jpg

[Mark Wein]

I've never had greens....I'm assuming they're good...

[Chihlidog]

Greens are awesome. Time consuming but fantastic. Bacon, onions, garlic, some seasonings and LOTS of cooking down. Excellent.

[Mark Wein]

Sounds good to me...

[warren0728]

lots of cooking is the key....these were perfect....we had a nice cheese pizza and a bowl of greens for dinner saturday night....yummy.... love0 drool0 eat0

[Chihlidog]

lots of cooking is the key....these were perfect....we had a nice cheese pizza and a bowl of greens for dinner saturday night....yummy.... love0 drool0 eat0

What kind do you use? I always do 3 or 4 bunches of kale and 2 or 3 of collards.

[warren0728]

What kind do you use? I always do 3 or 4 bunches of kale and 2 or 3 of collards.

these were collards....

[Johnny N.]

That pot reminds me of Grandma's house. I dont know if I ever ate a meal at her house where we didnt have collards........ and okra cause she knew it was my favorite.

[JModius1972]

WHen you say "forever", exactly how long do you mean? We tried to do swiss chard once, and I've got to admit that we pitched it because it was bad. Some advice on cooking times, etc? I'd love to give it another shot because those are supposed to be really good for ya.

[Chihlidog]

WHen you say "forever", exactly how long do you mean? We tried to do swiss chard once, and I've got to admit that we pitched it because it was bad. Some advice on cooking times, etc? I'd love to give it another shot because those are supposed to be really good for ya.

Well, this is another one of those dishes I sorta just DO. No recipe. I've never made chards or turnip or mustard greens, so I cant really comment on them.

What I do is get kale and collard. Usually 2-1 kale to collard. They're sold in bunches around a pound or less. For a normal batch I'll get 4 kale and 2 collard. You gotta wash them. Leaf by leaf. This takes a while. Dirt and sometimes insect can get caught in between the leaves and in the folds of the kale, so you need to be thorough. I just use my sink and the sprayer.

I guess I should try to write this out in order though :o First, before you do any of that even, get 2 big pots, or one REALLY big pot. Fill each about halfway with water. Skin an onion for each pot, quarter it, drop it in. Turn them on high, let 'em boil.

OK, back to cleaning. Do the collards first. When a leaf is clean, grab it by the base of the stem with one hand and circle your other hand fairly tightly around it, and run it up the stem to rip off the leaf part. It takes a little practice but it is the easiest way. Sometimes this doesnt work with collards, theyre thicker and tougher. You just have to rip off the leafy part in that case. Dont leave stems in. Some people will tell you stems are OK. They arent, they're bitter. You can leave a small amount on there but you want the thin part. Otherwise it messes with the flavor and it also never really gets tender.

Once you have your collards clean, rip them up into pieces, split them evenly between the 2 pots and just drop 'em in. This is important because collards take longer. Theyre a very tough leaf. You want them cooking while you clean the kale. Now clean your kale and do the same.

You probably wont be able to get it all in under the water. That's ok. they will boil down big time. Just keep shoving them down until they do. Let 'em boil. Stir 'em, let 'em boil.

Now, get some bacon. I suggest a half pound per pot. Smoked. If you get the wrong kind or use too much, the greens can actually taste sweet. I dont recommend this, so get bacon you know isnt very sweet.You can also use smoked hamhocks or whatever, but I really like the bacon pieces in my greens. Bacon is easier to cut while it is still frozen. I just slice it against the pre-made slices a few times and drop it in.

All I season it with is some garlic powder and a little cajun seasoning. DONT OVERDO THIS. It's easy to. Just a few shakes per pot. Now all you do is let them boil down. You will have less than half of the water you started with. That's where the flavors start to come out. If you taste the juice right away, it will taste weak and you'll think you need more seasoning, but you dont. Let that water boil way down. It tenderizes the greens and it makes good pot likker.

It takes up to 2 hrs sometimes for it to cook down that much. Dont rush them. If you are getting low on juice in the pots and the greens still arent tender, just add more water and let that boil off.

My greens:

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r70/chihlidog/greeens.jpg

[JModius1972]

Oh my...

Between the two of you, I'm feeling inspired. This week coming is March Break for the wife (she's off), so I think I'm gonna give it a try.

[Chihlidog]

Oh my...

Between the two of you, I'm feeling inspired. This week coming is March Break for the wife (she's off), so I think I'm gonna give it a try.

It's not hard. Just remember, it's pretty much impossible to overcook them, so if something isnt right, you can add more seasoning later. Dont let them get sweet and dont OVERseason and you'll be good to go. Good luck. We want a full report. biggrin

[Theodore]

I like collard and turnip greens. Mustard greens.... whoa. Mix them with something else or beware. :eek:

[Mark Wein]

This looks like an experiment for the future....

[warren0728]

here is marci's recipe for the greens....

Cut up bacon in little bits. Saute in large pot. Add some garlic.
Add whole sliced onion. Saute some more. Fill pot half way with
chicken broth. Cut up greens and add. I personally like half Mustard
Greens and half Collards. Stuff the pot with them. Then cover with
water and boil. When they boil down, throw in a hamhock or two and
cook some more. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can eat these in
half an hour...or cook them all night. They are even better the next
day. Best served with homemade cornbread (or delivered cheese pizza)

yeah we ordered a cheese pizza one night and had the greens with it....yummy but i forgot to get pictures.... :facepalm:

[Chihlidog]

Never tried them with chicken broth, warren. Sounds interesting. Doesnt it kinda overpower the flavor of the greens themselves?

[warren0728]

Never tried them with chicken broth, warren. Sounds interesting. Doesnt it kinda overpower the flavor of the greens themselves?

not at all....i'm not sure any one flavor will overpower greens! the chicken broth just adds a more full flavor to the greens....