Hot Around the Collard

The cold, the dark, the dull post-holiday weeks cry out for colorful and hearty food, so this is a time to celebrate collards, maybe the most flavorful green in the garden. It's definitely one of the most nutritious.
Happily, collards are cheap right now: for $3.00 I got 2 organic bunches and that nourishes a crowd.

Since many northerners are baffled by collards, and they're no good raw, I'd say the simplest way to get them on the table is to braise them for 20-30 minutes, however much time you have. You can't overcook them.  The basic recipe is to soften a small onion in a tsp or two of oil  in a medium-size heavy-gauge pot while you rip the greens off the thick stems. Cut or shred the leaves into large pieces and throw them into the pot. Add a minced garlic clove and a pinch of salt. Then cover the greens with water or vegetable broth; water is fine because collards have so much flavor to offer. Put a lid on the pot, put the heat on low and come back in 10 minutes to make sure there's still liquid in the pot. Add if not. Continue cooking until you're ready to eat. The longer you cook collards, the more melt-in-your-mouth they become.

What do you serve these with right now? Well for color, how about sweet potatoes, quickly cooked in the microwave? Ham or roast pork, of course, or any barbequed meat if you're not vegetarian. If you are, I suggest arepas, the Venezulan cornmeal pancakes. You can buy Masarepa, the special cornmeal for them, wherever Goya products are sold in the international aisle of the supermarket.

It's traditional in the South to start January with collards as a lucky food: their green color represents greenbacks, so they're supposed to magnetize money in the year ahead. They're most often served with that other lucky and very flavorful food, black-eyed peas. Indeed my second simplest way to get collards to the table is to braise them as above, then 15 minutes into the cooking, dump into the pot a can of black-eyed peas and a pinch of smoked paprika.

When I have more time, and I make time this time of year, I put collards in the traditional black-eyed peas dish: Hoppin' John. It's a vat of peas with rice and collards--and if you're not vegetarian, chunks of smoked ham. It's champion comfort food for a multitude.  Here is my own vegetarian version. Last week I made it with a small smoked ham hock: I simply started the whole process with the ham in the pot and in the end I pulled out the naked bone, all the meat deep in the beans.

Happy Eating!

Hoppin' John Recipe: Vegetarian but see above to add ham

For 6-8

½ lb. black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and drained

2-3 tbsp corn oil, enough to cover the bottom of your pot

1 lg onion, peeled and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 sm Poblano pepper, roasted and diced
1 tsp chipotle chili powder

½ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp ground cayenne

2 celery ribs, diced

4 cups vegetable broth

½-1 cup water

½ bunch collard greens, chopped

1-1½ cups rice (depending on how thick you want this)*

Salt and black pepper to your taste

*I find using short-grained paella rice better than long grain basmati for this dish.

Heat oil in a heavy gauge casserole or stock pot. Add onion and sauté over medium heat until onion is soft and translucent, maybe 5 minutes.

Add garlic and Poblano pepper, stirring to blend.  Sauté 1 minute.

Add spices and celery. Sauté 2 minutes. (Add oil if necessary)

Add broth, water and black-eyed peas. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook 45 minutes.

Add collard greens, rice, salt and pepper. Cover and continue to simmer another 20-25 minutes, checking from time to time that you have enough liquid. Add water by the ¼ cupful if you need it.

Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, and serve with freshly chopped cilantro leaves.