Braised Collard Greens

from ButterYum

makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch collar greens (about 6 large stems, 12-14 inches in length), washed

• 1/2 cup chicken stock (try my homemade)

• 2 sliced bacon, sliced

• 1/4 cup chopped onion

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wash collard greens well and remove stems (save to make pickles); chop collard leaves into 2x2-inch pieces and set aside until needed.

2. Starting with a cold, 3.5 quart or larger heavy-bottomed dutch oven (here’s the one I used), sauté bacon over medium heat until brown and crispy; remove bacon from dutch oven and set aside.

3. In the remaining bacon drippings, sauté onions until they start to caramelize, then add the minced garlic (and optional crushed red pepper flakes) and sauté, stirring continuously, for 30-60 seconds until the garlic is fragrant; add chicken stock and scrape bottom of dutch oven to dissolve browned bits from pan.

4. Add chopped collards to dutch oven and stir well; cover and lower heat to simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Add a splash of water at any time if the pot liquor evaporates and leaves the dutch oven dry. 

5. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar and reserved bacon; taste and add additional red wine vinegar and salt and pepper if needed.