Collard Greens

Over the weekend I received a beautiful bunch of collard greens from my friend John.  He has a great garden in his back yard right here in the middle of Greensboro.  When his give away offer came my way, I jumped at it!  Just so you know, this recipe for Collard Greens is not like the southern standby... cooking the greens with some pig and eating them with vinegar.  It comes from a conversation I had with the sous chef at 1618 Seafood Grill and my own thoughts (after eating their awesome collards several times) about how they prepared this recipe.  The chef told me that they really didn't write the recipe down, it's more of a method, so after a little experimentation, here it is....and they are SO GOOD!

Get a very large pot and add -
1 Tablespoon of bacon drippings
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

This picture does not do the recipe justice! Give them a try!!

Heat all ingredients on medium low heat until brown sugar is melted.  Add 1 grocery bag of collard greens that have been thoroughly washed and torn into medium size pieces.Cook on medium heat until collards are totally wilted down.  Continue to cook for approximately 30 minutes watching carefully so that the liquid does not evaporate - if it gets low, add a little more water.  While still on stove and right before serving, add 1/2 cup of vinegar mixed with 2 tablespoons of honey.  Mix into collards.  Serve while hot.