Lorelei’s Hair (Collard Greens)

Lorelei’s Hair (Collard Greens)

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch of collard greens

1 half red spring onion

1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed or olive

1 teaspoon bacon fat

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 oz. ruby (or other quality) Port

4 – 8 oz. red wine

METHOD:

Bring a 3-quart chefs pan or sauté pan of water to a boil over high heat.

Strip the leaves from the stems and slice them in a fine chiffonade.

Place into cold water and rinse any grit from the leaves.

Slice the onion thinly into half-moons and break up the slices.

Drain the leaves and immerse in the boiling water and cook for around 10 minutes. The collards should be brighter in color and have lost their “raw” taste. If they cook longer don’t fret as collards can take a lot of cooking without suffering for it.

When the greens are cooked, drain them into a colander.

Add the oil and the bacon fat to the pan and lower the heat to medium. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions and toss to coat.

Cook the onion until soft and starting to turn golden.

Add the vinegar and cook until it has reduced by 80 percent.

Add the drained collards and toss to mix in the onions and evenly coat with the oil and bacon fat.

Season with salt and pepper and toss to distribute the seasonings.

Pour in the port and stir the greens. Put a lid on the pan and reduce the port until almost gone.

Add the red wine, cover the greens, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the greens to reduce the liquid in the pan until it thickens and coats the greens lightly. The liquid can be reduced to a syrupy consistency, but this does not always occur for some reason. Sometimes it just stays thin, so you just go with it and reduce the liquid until it won’t run all over the plate.

I sometimes find it necessary to add a little more wine or, more usually, a touch more oil to achieve richness to the greens.

Serve hot.

These greens go well with things like sausages or pork chops, as well as grilled chicken. Leftovers go well in frittatas and omelettes.

SERVES 4

SOURCE: Chef Andrew E Cohen