Collard Greens — Italian Style
This is a dish my Grandmother would have happily eaten as a meal (probably lunch) with a wedge of toasted Italian bread. She would’ve dished it up in a bowl with generous scoop of the broth. And, she would’ve served it alongside two bread baskets. One basket of bread would hold toasted & buttered bread. The other bread basket would hold a fresh loaf of Sicilian sesame bread simply sliced. The basket of Sicilian bread would sit on the dining room table all day… a quick snack to nibble throughout the day.
Collard Greens
one huge pot
2 large bunches of collard greens, well washed
olive oil, as needed
2 onions, roughly diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
splash red wine vinegar
olive oil, the best you own
Separate stalk and stems from collards. Cut the stems into a small dice. Place in a bowl. Set aside. Slice leafy greens into a 1″ strips. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
Saute onions to a light gold in a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Then, add carrots, collard stems, celery, and garlic. Saute for a few additonal minutes. Then, add tomatoes, collard leaves, chicken stock, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and a splash of vinegar. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Before serving, drizzle with a stream of the best olive oil you have on hand.
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