Collard Greens - Take 2

I'm sure there's some quote about second chances that I could have used for this post, but it's been a long week and it's not top of mind right now. Collard greens arrived in my share about a month ago and I really wasn't sure what to do with them. Years ago I had pretty amazing collard greens at Emeril's restaurant in Orlando, so I figured no matter what I did with the greens, I'd probably like them. I couldn't have been more wrong. Most collard greens recipes include some form of pork (ham hock or bacon) - which I don't eat. So, I was looking for a vegetarian collard greens recipe, which were few and far between. I finally found one, which I tried and it was gross. I was ready to give up on this green.

Until... my dad sent me a Giada recipe today. I'm not even sure he knew that I had a bunch of greens sitting in my kitchen. The recipe was for Swiss Chard or kale, but it worked great for my collards too. And, it's now official, I don't dislike collard greens, I just initially tried a bad recipe.

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis - Wilted Greens with Ricotta Salata

Ingredients:

2 bunches greens (swiss chard, kale, collard greens, spinach - whatever you have or prefer)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion or a few small shallots - sliced up

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 oz ricotta salata cheese (or feta if you prefer)

-->Wash your greens, but don't worry about drying them. Actually, I found that my collards kind of repelled water, so that wasn't really an issue. Trim off the stems and then chop the chard in big pieces. Remember, all these greens wilt very nicely, so they will shrink up to more bite size pieces.

--> Using a big pot on medium-high heat, warm up 3 tbsp olive oil and then add the onions. Saute for a few minutes, as they are cooking up (getting yellow and softening), add the garlic. Saute for a few more minutes before adding the greens, chicken broth, soy sauce and ground pepper. Stir a lot - not constantly but so that they get mixed around. Cook until the greens have wilted and become tender, about 7-10 minutes.

--> Transfer to a plate or bowl and crumble the cheese over the top. Enjoy!