Buon appetito, y'all.

August 12, 11:31 AMFood ExaminerEric Burkett

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Collard greens (Farmer's Almanac)

There’s tremendous pleasure in introducing friends to new foods. I had that opportunity last night when two friends from Italy, Gianfrancesco and Luca, came to my house for dinner.

Gianfrancesco – Frank, to you and me – adores American food so I decided to make as thoroughly an American meal as possible. As appetizers, I served cheese straws and deviled eggs. The dinner itself: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, fried corn, collard greens, and biscuits. Dessert was fresh peach pie and vanilla ice cream.

Everyone (there were five of us, in all) enjoyed the meal, but I’d have to say the dish that stood out most was the collard greens. Collard greens? If you know them, you know what I’m talking about.

Collards, a Southern staple, are strongly flavored leafy greens whose taste my 18-year old copy of Food Lover’s Companion describes as “a cross between cabbage and kale”. That’s pretty accurate. They’re also rich sources of iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. And, like kale and cabbage, collards hold up well to cooking, meaning they won’t cook down to nothing like spinach or other greens.

What made the collard greens so special? Well, they certainly weren’t heart healthy, but they were awfully good. Check out my recipe.

2 bunches collards
6 slices bacon
1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia)
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of red chili flakes
1 Tbsp rice, or similarly mild, vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

• After washing the greens, cut out the tough spines of the leaves (You can do this easily by simply running a knife down both sides of the spine, separating it from the tender green part). Roll a few of the leaves at a time into tight cigars and then slicing vertically across the roll, cut them into strips about ¼” wide (This technique is called a chiffonade). Set aside.
• Begin heating a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil.
• Stacking the bacon slices, cut them across vertically into small pieces. Add the meat to the pan and begin to fry until bacon is crisp.
• Slice the onion into two halves, and then cutting vertically into each half, slice the onion into ¼” julienne. When the bacon has sufficiently browned, drain off excess fat and add onion slices, cooking until translucent.
• Mince the garlic, and add to the bacon and onion mixture along with the dried chili flakes.
• Add the sliced collards and stir to thoroughly coat the greens with the fat in the pan. Cover the pan and allow the greens to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. When the collards have reduced in volume and have turned bright green remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the collards with the vinegar and serve.
• Serves 4 to 6 persons as part of a multi-course meal.