Sautéed Collard Greens – Out of this world!

Chicken Sweet Italian Sausage, fresh corn, SAUTÉED collards + corn muffin

We bought a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box from Joseph Fields Farm, a nearby farm that usually appears at the Farmers Markets that we have in the area. In this time of Covid-19, there are no Farmers Markets but there are farms selling their fresh produce. I was able to order a box and pick up (no contact) and it was fabulous. EIGHTEEN POUNDS of veggies (and strawberries too!) – we had collards, kale, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, sweet onion, red onion, corn on the cob, zucchini, yellow squash and carrots! That is a lot of produce for two people, but we were up for the challenge. It was a good distraction finding recipes that were different from the usual.

I had some Al Fresco Chicken Sweet Italian Sausage in the freezer – so Fred grilled it along with the corn, and I made “Jiffy” (not the package) corn muffins – nothing but real ingredients in these corn muffins. What a treat!

SAUTÉED COLLARDS, QUICK, EASY AND SO DELICIOUS!

I like collards (it took about twenty years of living in the South before that happened, now, like grits, I love them!) – but I’m not a fan of stewed collards (the typical way they’re made here) and I didn’t want to add meat to the dish… so I did a bit of Googling… and decided to sauté them. Olive oil, onion, S&P (and red pepper flakes if you like!). That’s it. I started by washing each leaf very well*, cut a V to cut out the stem, then dried and stacked the leaves together in groups and rolled them up like a cigar and thinly chopped (Chiffonade style).

Heat a little olive oil and/or butter in a heavy pan (I used the pot I typically use for soup because it can hold a lot). Toss in some sliced onion, then the collards – I had to add and wait for them to cook down a bit to fit more in. Sauté them for about 5 minutes until the onion softens, then add a wee bit of water (1/2 cup for 2#) and then cover on low and keep checking so they have moisture. If necessary, you can add a little water – I didn’t need to, but I kept a close eye. Towards the end I gave them a good squeeze of lemon. We like them so that they almost melt in your mouth – I can tell ours are done when they’re tender and they turn darker (like cooked spinach) – as shown in first photo.

2.5# of collards ended up being 4 servings (they heat up so well!)

So next time you see a big bunch of collards, don’t back away – give this a whirl, it’s fabulous!

* Be sure to clean the collards well – they can be sandy and you do not want to bite into grit I fill up a large pan with cold water – I rinse each leaf front and back and rub it with my (clean) hand, then put it in large pan of water. I do this for each leaf (the most time consuming portion of this recipe) – I swish the leaves around then dump the water and do it again, if you feel or see any sand, keep doing it… then to a colander, then to a clean towel with paper towels to dry. (It’s worth the effort!)

Happy May Day to my husband who was crowned the May Day King as a child – cool memories!

Until next time… #staysafe

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