Recipes

Collards and Kale

Collards and Kale Info: Collards are 'southern food', and I always hear about them being cooked for hours on end along with a ham hock. I don't ever like to cook a vegetable for hours on end (!!), and until recently, I was a vegetarian, so I never even considered the 'traditional' cooking method! I find it easy to slice both collards and kale into ribbons and either steam or saute them until tender. This will certainly take longer than steaming something more delicate like spinach or chard, but I just do some taste-testing to determine when they're soft enough for my tastes. When doing a saute, start with some onions and garlic, add the the collards and a bit of water or broth so they don't scorch. I find I can use kale and collards interchangeably in recipes. As with all greens, they are best stored wrapped up tightly in plastic, but will keep up to 2 weeks or so that way!

Don't miss the blog site 365 Days of Kale for a seemingly unlimited number of ways to prepare kale. No excuses - you're bound to find something that everyone likes on that website!

For six more ideas (with pictures!) about how to prepare collards, look at this page on Saveur.com

Titles on this page, in order. Scroll down to find the recipe you're interested in:
Portuguese Kale Soup, Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey, Portugese Kale Soup, Greens Croquettes, Braised Collard Greens, Sauteed Collard Greens, Italian Pork Chops with Kale, Spicy Rice and Kale, White Beans with Greens, Kale & Potato Hash, Greens and Ricotta Pie

Portuguese Kale Soup
-Louisa F.
5 ½ c chicken broth
½ c heavy cream
3 carrots, grated
4 potatoes, sliced or cubed**
4 cups kale, chopped small or quickly pulsed in food processor
¼ to ½ lb chorizo, sliced and diced and browned*
½ tsp salt (optional)
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
*If you are a meat lover, the original recipe calls for 1 pound of chorizo, but I would recommend skipping the use of salt then.
** According to a Portuguese friend, they would cook the potatoes first and mash them for a creamier soup.  I thought they were fine diced as well.

While the chorizo is browning, combine the broth and cream in a slow cooker.  Add the carrots, potatoes, kale and sausage. Sprinkle the salt on top as well as the pepper flakes, if desired.
Cover and cook on high in a slow cooker for 4 to 5 hours.  Stir well before serving.

Collard greens with smoked turkey
1 smoked turkey drumstick (about 1 1/4 lb.)
2 qts water
2 lb fresh, young collard greens
3 cloves garlic
1 large onion, chopped
2 hot chili peppers, seeded and chopped
2 c chicken broth
Boil water; add turkey. Reduce heat and simmer 1-1 1/2 hours, or until turkey is almost tender. Remove turkey; reserve cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, strip tough stems and wash greens three times to remove all grit. Stack the wet greens and roll into tube shape. Slice crosswise into thin strips, or chop.
Boil broth. Add greens, garlic, onion, peppers, and turkey. Reduce heat to simmer. Stir often. Cook until collards are tender, 30-40 minutes. Remove meat from bone; serve.

Portuguese kale soup
1/2 lb chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
2 (16-oz) cans great northern beans
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
2 bunches kale, stemmed and chopped
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 qt water, approximately
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, lightly brown sausage.
Add beans, cabbage, kale, potatoes and enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Greens Croquettes
2 lbs. leaves of mixed greens (Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, etc.)
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cow’s milk cheese, grated
2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs, plus extra
Salt and Pepper
Oil or butter
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt the water and then add the greens.  If you are using a mix of greens, add them in order of coarseness (i.e., start with kale, end with spinach).  Cook until just wilted, no more than a minute or ninety seconds.  Drain thoroughly, gently pressing the leaves against the sides of the colander.  Allow the greens to cool, and then roughly chop.
In a mixing bowl, combine the greens, onion, eggs, cheese, pepper, and approximately half of the breadcrumbs.  If the mixture is too wet to form cakes, gradually add more bread crumbs until it is possible to mold the mixture.  Form small patties, roughly the size of a small hamburger, and set aside.
Put a plate in the oven and set the oven to low heat.  Over medium heat, cover the bottom of a cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan with oil or butter.  Add a few of the cakes to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd it.  (The amount of cakes you add depends on the size of the pan.) Cook for approximately five minutes, or until browned, flip the cakes and cook an additional five minutes to brown the other side.  Remove the cakes to the plate in the oven and continue with the next batch.  Repeat until cakes are cooked.

Braised Collard Greens
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 leek or 1 small onion, chopped
1 bunch collard greens, rinsed, stemmed and chopped
½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon mild vinegar: champagne or cider
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in large sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Saute onion until soft, 3-4 minutes.
Add half of the greens, broth, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Cover and cook until greens are beginning to wilt, about 1 minute.
Stir in remaining greens and cook, covered, stirring occasionally over med low heat until quite tender, about 30 minutes.
Remove lid and cook over med high heat until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5-10 minutes.
Take off heat, stir in butter, vinegar, and serve.

Sauteed Collard Greens
Some people favor collard greens boiled until they are meltingly tender, while others prefer them to retain some bite. This recipe satisfies the taste of the latter group.
2 1/2 lbs. collard greens
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp.     fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Remove and discard stems and center ribs of collard greens. Cut leaves into 1-inch pieces. In a kettle of boiling water cook collards 15 minutes and drain in a colander, pressing out excess liquid with back of a wooden spoon.
Mince garlic. In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam subsides and stir in garlic, collards, and salt and pepper to taste. SautŽ collard mixture, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle collards with lemon juice and toss well. Serves 4.

Italian Pork Chops with Kale
2 lbs kale
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
4 thick pork chops
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 cup hot water
1 small can tomato paste
Soak kale and rinse it thoroughly then simmer for 20 minutes in pot of salted water.
While kale is cooking, heat oil in large, deep skillet. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Add pork chops and saute for 5 minutes on each side, then season with salt, pepper, and fennel seeds.
Dissolve tomato paste in hot water and add to pork chops. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes, adding water if sauce gets too thick.
Drain kale and stir into tomato sauce. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Spicy Rice and Kale
2 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 cup converted white rice
4 ounces kale (about 1/2 large bunch), stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (2 cups packed)
Bring broth and Creole seasoning to boil in heavy large saucepan. Stir in rice and kale and bring to
boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

White Beans with Greens
½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked
3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter
Fine grained sea salt
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbons
Fresh ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Freshly grated parmesan for topping
Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.
Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous dose of salt and pepper.
Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Kale & Potato Hash
Makes 4 servings
Serve as a side with a steak or pork chops or set a poached egg on top for a hearty breakfast or brunch.
8 cups torn kale leaves (about ½ large bunch; see Tip)
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 medium shallot, minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked shredded potatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Place kale in a large cast iron skillet and sauté in butter, until wilted, about 6 minutes. Cool slightly, and finely chop.
Meanwhile, mix horseradish, shallot, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Add the chopped kale and potatoes; stir to combine.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the kale mixture, spread into an even layer and cook, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes and returning the mixture to an even layer, until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes total.
Tip: A 1- to 1 1/2-pound bunch of kale yields 16 to 24 cups of chopped leaves. When preparing kale for these recipes, remove the tough ribs, chop or tear the kale as directed, then wash it--allowing some water to cling to the leaves. The moisture helps steam the kale during the first stages of cooking.

Greens and Ricotta Pie
1 lg head Swiss chard (or kale, tatsoi, etc.) (about 1.75 pounds)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 large eggs
1 container (15 oz) part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9&1/2-inch deep dish glass pie plate. Trim off two inches from swiss chard stems, discard ends. Seperate stems from leaves, thinly slice stems and coarsly chop leaves.
In nonstick 12-inch skiller, heat oil until hot. Add sliced stems and cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add green onions, salt, and pepper and cook 1 min. Gradually add chopped leaves until wilted and excess moisture evaporates, about 5 min. In a large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix eggs, ricotta, milk, parmesan and cornstarch. Stir in swill-chard mixture.
Transfer mixture to pie plate. Bake pie 40 minutes or until knife inserted 2 inches from center comes out clean. 6 main dish servings.