mmm-yoso!!! is a foodblog. Kirk posts the most about his cooking and eating at home and in restaurants around the world. He lets Cathy and Ed (from Yuma) post about eating and cooking as well. Today, Ed is sharing a favorite easy meal he likes to fix.
I still remember the first time I ever tasted stewed greens. I was picking up an order of fried chicken to go, and the clerk asked which two side dishes I wanted. On a whim, I decided to try the greens because I had heard about greens but never tasted them. It was love at first bite.
Since then, I have worked at learning how to make greens. Nowadays, some version of stewed greens is my default choice to bring to a Super Bowl party or other potluck. Of course, I never make it exactly the same, but I thought I would share my basic recipe with my friends at mmm-yoso!!!
To make a mess of greens as a main course for two or three people, I would start with a couple of bunches of greens:
The greens on the right are collards, the ones on the left mustard greens. Collards tend to have a firm texture and a very mild cabbage like flavor. To my taste about 1/2 to 1/3 of the greens should be collards. Mustard and turnip greens have a more pronounced flavor and a softer texture. I usually choose whichever one is available and looks the best in the store. It is perfectly okay to mix all three.
Then I remove all of the large central stems. I know some people leave them in, but the stems have little flavor and cook at a different rate:
Then I always wash the greens:
One thing that can really ruin greens is having dirt and grit in the final product. Rinsing also gets rid of any dust and reduces lingering pesticide – if any – I hope.
I then spread the leaves on top of each other on a cutting board and cut through them horizontally and vertically so that most pieces will be 1-2 inch squares:
The other ingredients are even easier to prepare. I cut an onion in half, peel it, lay it down on the cut sides, and slice it lengthwise:
Then slice it horizontally to produce a pile of onion:
Half an onion would have been sufficient for two bunches of greens, but little extra onion doesn't hurt.
To make good greens, I always use some type of smoked/salted meat. My absolute favorite is Bruce Aidells Cajun Style Andouille smoked pork sausage:
This sausage adds complex spicy notes to the smoked meat flavors. I think of it as Looozanna style greens when fixed this way. This particular evening, I sliced up three links to put in the pot:
The number of sausages can vary without changing the basic recipe. In general, one to two sausages per bunch of greens is great if I'm serving the dish as a main course. If I'm bringing it to a potluck or serving it as a side dish, I might use one sausage link for every 3 or 4 bunches of greens.
The cooking process for the greens is very simple. On this evening, I used Tina's 12 inch Dutch oven:
I began by sautéing the onions in a couple three tablespoons (I actually did not measure) of oil:
After they were softened and turning translucent, I added the sliced Andouille sausage and just cooked long enough to warm the sausage slices:
I then put in the collards, nearly filling the pot:
After I stirred them quickly, I dumped in the mustard greens:
Now you can see why using a large Dutch oven or similar stewpot comes in handy.
At this point, I always add some chicken stock. This particular time, I used Kitchen Basics unsalted broth since the sausages are salty themselves:
Two scant cups of stock were plenty of liquid:
I also added a half teaspoon (or so) of black pepper and at least as much red pepper. Sometimes I have used Korean crushed red chilies, sometimes Italian style hot pepper flakes, but Tina's friend Krystal had sent us some excellent spicy and flavorful Basque ground red peppers, which added a nice zing to the dish:
When the greens began to stew, they still had a fresh green color:
45 min. later, the greens were cooked tender and looked like this:
Just before it was time to serve them, I added 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar:
The finishing touch was some freshly grated nutmeg:
A bowl of the greens looked like this:
Tasty. Even the broth (called pot liquor) is really flavorful. Add a pan of cornbread, and this is a meal for 2 adults and a couple of kids easy.
Written out, this is the list of ingredients.
2 bunches greens (1 collard, 1 mustard)
3 Aidells Andouille smoked pork sausage links
1 chopped onion
3 Tbs olive or other cooking oil
2 cups chicken stock
Black and red pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 Tbs cider or red wine vinegar
2-3 pinches grated nutmeg
I hope you like this easy recipe as much as I do.
I hate to admit it, but I’ve never had collard/mustard greens; it looks really good maybe I need to try some soon.
Looks good Ed, what better way to get my greens! 😉
hello ed! great recipe! i would do it the same but without the red wine vinegar (my preference). i grew up eating greens like this. my dad was a navy cook and learned how to do soul food from his African American shipmates (we are Filipino American). my favorite types of greens are mustard and collards but I’ve never had them together. that’s something i should try!
Try them, AZ. Greens are relatively healthy and flavorful. Also easy.
Thanks Dennis – I just wanted to share this.
Very interesting to know, cc. I mostly cook mixed greens because the very first time I tried greens I used one of those bags of mixed greens TJs used to sell. Over the years the recipe has evolved. I believe the vinegar showed up when a friend from Texas told me I had to use vinegar. I kindof like the tang it gives.
Nutmeg at the end! What a great idea – I love slow cooked greens.
This is almost exactly my recipe, although I mostly use this funky portuguese chourico from the local smokehouse. Good stuff.
those look good. i’m the daughter of black (african-american) southern parents (deep south, not texas south), so greens and cornbread were almost always on the dinner table.
i still make greens pretty regularly (usually a collard/mustard mix like it is here; sometimes kale and mustards), but i don’t use the meat in them–i keep it pretty simple. when i really want to be taken back to childhood, i’ll throw in a smoked turkey wing. also, a thing i’ve learned to do is prepare the greens and let them sit overnight, then eat them the next day. the pot liquor tastes much better that way after all the seasonings meld together (and yeah, vinegar is a must ).
Yeh, Rich, I’ve tried other sausages, but these are the best I can find out here in the desert. I’m sure the portuguese sausages that Kirk talks about would be great too.
Thanks cg, I do appreciate the comments. Not having grown up with greens this has been alot of experimenting and listening to people. When I get an “almost as good as mama’s” from some Texas or deep south born friends, I feel pretty good. I do like leftovers – when there are any.
The nutmeg, Su-lin, is a recent addition from a friend who said “you’ve gotta add nutmeg at the end. That makes all greens better.” OK. Seems good.
I made this last night because it seemed fairly simple and we need to eat more greens (and it’s a good excuse to eat sausage, right?) The only thing I did differently was use a little bacon fat (not too much) and put out a jar of fried shallots to top with (and I let my wife and son season with the vinegar to thier liking). The shallots went really well with this dish and added a little texture. I’ll definitely be doing that agin.
Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds like good additions, jan. My attitude is that greens are a process more than a recipe. I always am changing things around.
On a side note, one thing I like about sausage as a smoked meat is that it cooks faster than ham hocks, for example.