Nothing beats a pan of freshly cooked kale. Prepare our collards with bacon recipe and add a little vinegar and hot sauce to round out the flavor.
My dad found this Louisiana kale recipe in the Wall Street Journal and we’ve made it several times.
Every time I wonder why we don’t make them more often, they are so good!
do you like kale? If so, what is your favorite way to prepare it? Please let us know in the comments.
How to buy and store fresh kale
Look for pristine kale with deep green leaves that are firm (but not tough) and unwilted.
Store unwashed kale in the crisper drawer in a zip-lock bag or sealed container for up to five days.
How to cut and clean fresh kale
Kale may have dirt and grit hidden in the leaves. To clean them, place the leaves in a large bowl of cold water. Swirl them around to loosen the dirt. Remove the leaves from the water and then discard the dirty water.
Use a knife or scissors to cut off the tough stems from the kale. Then stack several sheets on top of each other, roll them up and cut diagonally into strips.
How long to cook kale
In the American South, chefs and home cooks tend to cook kale for a long time until it’s completely wilted. And the tougher the leaves, the longer they have to cook. However, many culinary traditions use kale, preparing it in a variety of ways, sometimes cooking it very quickly. For this recipe, we’re using the Southern tradition of cook-til-collapse.
How to store and reheat collards
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for three to five days. Heat on stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Freezer: Store cooked kale in a freezer-safe bag or zip-lock container for up to 12 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat on stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.
More recipes with fresh greens to prepare
- Sautéed vegetables with pine nuts and raisins
- Crispy chicken thighs with curry and wilted greens
- Scrambled eggs with kale and mozzarella
- Simply sautéed spinach
- Sauteed chard with parsnips
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Leafy cabbage with bacon
Don’t overcook the bacon. It should barely look brown around the edges and still look a little raw in the middle.
Based on a recipe by Chef Donald Link of Herbsaint and Cochon in New Orleans.
ingredients
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4 stripes thick cut baconcut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
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1 small yellow onion, chopped
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2 cloves garlic, chopped
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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2 tablespoon sugar
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Several dashes hot sauce
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1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegarmore to taste
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2 lb Kale, Stems removed, cut into 3 inch wide strips (can substitute kale or Swiss chard)
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1 Cup Chicken broth, or water
method
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Cooking bacon and onions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the bacon in the pan until it just starts to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally.
Add the onion and cook until tender and just beginning to brown.
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Add garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and hot sauce:
Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Add the vinegar and let simmer:
Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
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Add collards and chicken broth (or water):
Bring back to a simmer. Reduce the temperature to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale has wilted and lost its brightness.
Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce.
Serve with some juice from the pan.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 85 | calories |
| 3g | Fat |
| 11g | carbohydrates |
| 5g | protein |
