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Quick Cooked Greens with Bacon and Onion

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Quick Cooked Greens with Bacon and Onion

Ingredients

1 ½ teaspoons table salt 2 pounds kale, collard, mustard. or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water, and coarsely chopped2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into thin stripsvegetable oil ½ medium onion, chopped fine2 medium cloves garlic, minced½ cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 teaspoons cider vinegar Table salt

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan. Add salt and greens; stir until wilted. Cover and cook until greens are just tender, about 7 minutes; drain in colander. Rinse pan with cold water to cool, then refill with cold water. Pour greens into cold water to stop the cooking process. Gather handful of greens, lift out of water and squeeze until only droplets fall from them. Repeat with remaining greens. Roughly cut each bunch of greens. Set aside.
  2. Fry bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside. If necessary, add oil to bacon drippings to bring up to 2 tablespoons. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add greens; sauté, stirring, to coat with oil. Add 1/3 cup stock; cover and cook over medium-high heat until greens are tender and most of the stock has been absorbed (add extra stock if necessary), about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with vinegar and bacon bits; season with salt if necessary. Serve.
Quick Cooked Greens with Bacon and Onion

Quick Cooked Greens with Bacon and Onion

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 ½ teaspoons table salt
2 pounds kale, collard, mustard. or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water, and coarsely chopped
2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into thin strips
vegetable oil
½ medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Table salt

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ teaspoons table salt
2 pounds kale, collard, mustard. or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water, and coarsely chopped
2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into thin strips
vegetable oil
½ medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Table salt

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ teaspoons table salt
2 pounds kale, collard, mustard. or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water, and coarsely chopped
2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into thin strips
vegetable oil
½ medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Table salt

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For our quick cooked greens recipe, we wanted to rid these greens of some of their bitterness, but not all of it. A shallow blanching removed enough bitterness to make these assertive greens palatable but not so much as to rob them of their character. Once assertive greens had been shallow-blanched, they could be cooked in five minutes with bacon and onion for a quick side dish.

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan. Add salt and greens; stir until wilted. Cover and cook until greens are just tender, about 7 minutes; drain in colander. Rinse pan with cold water to cool, then refill with cold water. Pour greens into cold water to stop the cooking process. Gather handful of greens, lift out of water and squeeze until only droplets fall from them. Repeat with remaining greens. Roughly cut each bunch of greens. Set aside.
  2. Fry bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside. If necessary, add oil to bacon drippings to bring up to 2 tablespoons. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add greens; sauté, stirring, to coat with oil. Add 1/3 cup stock; cover and cook over medium-high heat until greens are tender and most of the stock has been absorbed (add extra stock if necessary), about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with vinegar and bacon bits; season with salt if necessary. Serve.

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