Creole Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 2-pound bag cleaned and stemmed collard greens
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 jalapenos peppers, seeded and minced
- 1 pound pickle meat, diced
- 8 cups rich chicken stock*
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Sort through collards and strip the leaves from and discard any overlooked stems. Tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Rinse, drain and set aside. In a large pot, melt bacon fat. Add onions and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapenos. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add pickle meat and cook until no longer pink (dark pink). Stir in chicken stock, collard greens and black and cayenne peppers; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until collards and pickle meat are tender, about 1 hour. Stir in vinegar and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.
*The next best thing to a rich, homemade chicken stock is a good "wet" chicken base, which, unlike powdered bouillons and bases, is a highly concentrated chicken stock paste made from a reduction of light and dark chicken meat and natural juices. I use Minor’s but I think McCormick’s makes something similar.