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Quick Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Vinegar

By Joe Gitter

Published on December 15, 2020

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Quick Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Vinegar

Ingredients

Table salt for cooking greens2½ pounds collard greens, stemmed4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces2 garlic cloves, minced¼ cup Hot Pepper Vinegar, plus extra for serving

Before You Begin

You can substitute mustard or turnip greens for the collards; reduce their boiling time to 2 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt, then add 2½ pounds collard greens, stemmed, 1 handful at a time. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain collards in colander and rinse with cold water until greens are cool, about 1 minute. Drain, pressing greens with silicone spatula to release excess liquid.
  2. Place greens on clean kitchen towel and compress into 10-inch log. Roll up towel tightly and squeeze over sink to release excess liquid. Remove greens from towel and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices.
  3. Cook 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces, in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, stir in greens, and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 2 minced garlic cloves and cook until greens are spotty brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup Hot Pepper Vinegar and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing extra vinegar separately.
Quick Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Vinegar
Photography by Keller + Keller. Styling by Kendra Smith.

Quick Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Vinegar

Save

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Table salt for cooking greens
2½ pounds collard greens, stemmed
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup Hot Pepper Vinegar, plus extra for serving

Ingredients

Table salt for cooking greens
2½ pounds collard greens, stemmed
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup Hot Pepper Vinegar, plus extra for serving

Ingredients

Table salt for cooking greens
2½ pounds collard greens, stemmed
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup Hot Pepper Vinegar, plus extra for serving

Why This Recipe Works

Our quick version of the typically long-cooked collards blanches the leaves in salt water to tenderize them and remove their bitterness in minutes. To get rid of the excess moisture, we squeezed them dry and then formed them into a log that we chopped into thin slices that needed only a quick sauté. We rendered the flavorful fat from a few slices of bacon and used that as our sautéing fat (we also kept the crispy little nuggets of bacon) since these quick greens didn’t have time to cook with a ham hock. We finished off with some aromatic garlic and then deglazed the pan with our intense pepper vinegar for brightness and heat.

Before You Begin

You can substitute mustard or turnip greens for the collards; reduce their boiling time to 2 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt, then add 2½ pounds collard greens, stemmed, 1 handful at a time. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain collards in colander and rinse with cold water until greens are cool, about 1 minute. Drain, pressing greens with silicone spatula to release excess liquid.
  2. Place greens on clean kitchen towel and compress into 10-inch log. Roll up towel tightly and squeeze over sink to release excess liquid. Remove greens from towel and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices.
  3. Cook 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces, in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, stir in greens, and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 2 minced garlic cloves and cook until greens are spotty brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup Hot Pepper Vinegar and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing extra vinegar separately.

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