Spicy Greens

[Breedy]

Well here it is, my semi-famous recipe for Spicy Greens. WTF does a fat guy from Ohio know about greens? Try the recipe and see

Spicy Greens
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3-4 bunches Collard Greens (Torn and washed) May substitute pre-cut bagged if time is an issue
1 Large Yellow Onion, diced
6-8 Cloves of Garlic, minced or pressed
2-3 Chipolte Chilis packed in Adobo Sauce
2-4 quarts Ham Stock (made from base is fine, varies depending on size of bunches and desired soupiness).
1/2 - 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinger
Red pepper Flakes to Taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to Taste
2-3 Dash Hot Sauce (Frank's or similar)
2 lbs Ham cube (more or less)
1/4 cup Brown sugar

First you will need a really big pot. The Greens take up a lot of room before you cook them but wilt down greatly during the cooking process.

When you get your bunches of greens, wash them really good. Wash them again. Remove the large center stem and any other large veins. Tear in to 2-3 inch cubes (or larger if you like) and place in a sink filled with water, hopefully your sink is large enough. The idea is to get any remaining dirt or goo to sink to the bottom. Gentle remove the greens from the sink and place in a colander to drain, rinse one final time. That can be done a few hours ahead of time if you wish (if using bagged greens I would still recommend a good washing)

Now it is time to start mixing up our stock. I like to go heavy with the Ham base (that is why I don't add any extra salt), make sure your water is nice and warm mix the brown sugar, and red and black pepper into the stock ( feel free to add anything else you might like as well) and stir till more or less dissolved.

Coat your pot with a small layer of olive oil and began to saute the onions for a few minutes on high heat and add your ham. Just before the onions turn translucent add the 6-8 cloves of garlic and cook 1-2 additional minutes and de-glaze the with the 1/4 cup of Apple Cider vinegar making sure to get all the scrapings off the bottom of the pot. Add your greens. Next add your stock slowly till it takes up the bottom third or so of your pot, reserve any left over stock for later.

The Chipolte in adobo sauce come next. They can be found in the Mexican food section of most any grocery. Open the can and remove three or so and seed and chop them and then add them to pot. Also add about three spoon fulls of the adobo sauce.

Stir everything up.

Cover and simmer over medium/high heat, stirring occasionally till well wilted and dark green in color. Probably will be like 20-25 minutes. Remove lid and see how "soupy" it looks. Allow to reduce if needed or add your reserved stock. Keep simmering until greens are tender.

Taste the broth. Adjust seasoning as needed, but if it is too spicy there is not much you can do at this point.

Serve with Corn Bread (Jiffy mix with a little garlic powder is yummy) and Hot sauce or vinegar to taste.

I never actually wrote down or measured for a recipe so a lot of this is an educated guesstimate. The Ham base adds a nice amount of smokey flavor but also a lot of sodium. You can also substitute bacon for ham, but if you do chop it and brown it first then add the onions and garlic.

I might make this next week and will take some pictures if I do.

Also next week I plan on doing a pictorial on how to make beef jerky.

 

[Kingantz]

That's what I'm talkin' bout! Mmmm mmm!

 

[Jonesy]

That sounds pretty good! I like a little flavor in my greens. I usually throw a good bit of Tobasco in mine when I cook them (about 8-10 shakes of the bottle).

 

[jfields]

That sounds pretty good! I like a little flavor in my greens. I usually throw a good bit of Tobasco in mine when I cook them (about 8-10 shakes of the bottle).

Try it with the Chipotle Tobasco instead of the regular Brian! :love:

 

[jnknzz]

I can't get enough of them. We use THIS on quite a few dishes, especially greens. It's basically like the pepper sauce at a Steak n Shake...add at the table as needed.

The chipotle in adobo is a great idea, Breedy. I'll have to try it out. :thumbs:

 

[tsmckenney]

This looks real real good bro. I will try this out. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Yesi]

Thanks for the recipe! I don't like collard greens but I'm convinced it's because I've never had them prepared or cooked properly....or so my southern friends tell me. I've never cooked them myself but now I'm excited to give it a try. This recipe looks interesting - what got me was the chipotles! I use chipotles in a lot of my dishes. I love the smokiness the peppers add to food.

That sounds pretty good! I like a little flavor in my greens. I usually throw a good bit of Tobasco in mine when I cook them (about 8-10 shakes of the bottle).

Try it with the Chipotle Tobasco instead of the regular Brian!

Tabasco makes chipotle flavored hot sauce!? Oh, I have to find me some of that pronto! You might want to try making Chipotle Ketchup

 

[Matthew Adam]

How many people is this recipe for? Seems like a ton of greens..
We did em the other night, but from the looks of your recipe what we ate was a far cry from the "real deal".

 

[Breedy]

How many people is this recipe for? Seems like a ton of greens..
We did em the other night, but from the looks of your recipe what we ate was a far cry from the "real deal".

I guess it depends on how hungry you are.

Pretty much anything green and leafy cooks down a good bit. Also I guess the size of a bunch may vary depending on the source. Suffice to say, that what looks like a metric Sh!t ton when you start will probably be gone before you get a chance for seconds.

In general when I make them I estimate one bunch per person which usually allows for people who like them a lot to make up for those who are just trying them.