Found on Glitch Vixen's photostream.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Collard Greens
I'm not sure why I decided to plant collard greens other than they looked pretty and were inexpensive? As soon as it came time to harvest them, I froze. In fact, I cut a whole bunch at one point and then took so long to do anything with it that I had to throw it all in the compost.
So when it was time to harvest the collard greens next, I did what all great chefs do ... I asked how to cook them on facebook.
[Sadly, I didn't take a picture before they were harvested ... or I would include it right here.]
Okay. Cleaning the collard greens is scary enough. Just do one google search and you'll see that everyone thinks collards are extremely gritty and have to be washed and washed. I didn't want to eat grit and I didn't want to spend an hour cleaning some simple greens. So, I soaked them for a couple minutes and rinsed them and decided that had to be good enough. It was.
I knew the preparation was going to take some time, and that was my least favorite thing about this. The Internet suggest that I cut out the stems, divide into 1-inch slices, roll the slices and chop length-wise.
You'll notice the collard greens get smaller and smaller in every picture!
To cook them, I went with the suggestion to braise. I started with a little olive oil and added some chicken broth, garlic, and salt (which I later regretted - the salt in the broth would have been enough for me). I also added some sugar to counter the bitterness of the collards and then cooked on low for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Eventually it started looking a little dry and I worried about the collards charring, so I added some more broth. In hindsight, I wish I had added water because I thought the flavor was a little strong and boy, did I mention the salt?
The result?
Better than I expected. I am pretty sure this is the first time in my life that I've eaten collard greens and it won't be the last. I have a lot of things I'll do next time, and another one is that I'll cook it a little longer than 45 minutes. Although the texture could have been worse, it was definitely a little rubbery.
Thanks to my facebook friends who knew what to do with this stuff!
So when it was time to harvest the collard greens next, I did what all great chefs do ... I asked how to cook them on facebook.
[Sadly, I didn't take a picture before they were harvested ... or I would include it right here.]
Okay. Cleaning the collard greens is scary enough. Just do one google search and you'll see that everyone thinks collards are extremely gritty and have to be washed and washed. I didn't want to eat grit and I didn't want to spend an hour cleaning some simple greens. So, I soaked them for a couple minutes and rinsed them and decided that had to be good enough. It was.
I knew the preparation was going to take some time, and that was my least favorite thing about this. The Internet suggest that I cut out the stems, divide into 1-inch slices, roll the slices and chop length-wise.
You'll notice the collard greens get smaller and smaller in every picture!
To cook them, I went with the suggestion to braise. I started with a little olive oil and added some chicken broth, garlic, and salt (which I later regretted - the salt in the broth would have been enough for me). I also added some sugar to counter the bitterness of the collards and then cooked on low for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Eventually it started looking a little dry and I worried about the collards charring, so I added some more broth. In hindsight, I wish I had added water because I thought the flavor was a little strong and boy, did I mention the salt?
The result?
Better than I expected. I am pretty sure this is the first time in my life that I've eaten collard greens and it won't be the last. I have a lot of things I'll do next time, and another one is that I'll cook it a little longer than 45 minutes. Although the texture could have been worse, it was definitely a little rubbery.
Thanks to my facebook friends who knew what to do with this stuff!
Flattered
The teller at the bank today told me that I look like Kate Beckinsale. I mean, she was drop-jawed, like maybe I was actually Kate Beckinsale and this was one of those "I get that all the time tv shows."
Nobody has ever told me that before (which also totally surprised the teller), but I'll take it as a compliment. Lately I've been feeling an awful lot like Miss Piggy or some other moderately beautiful, but slightly - well, you know - kind of superstar. I think I'm going to try harder to see a Kate Beckinsale look-alike next time I look in the mirror. ;-)
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