Hearty Collard Greens!
I love greens! Any kind of greens! I like the more delicate greens for salads in the summer, but come cold weather, the sturdier greens make for wonderful comfort food in soups and stews. Growing up in the North I never had collards, but as a transplanted Southerner I’ve come to love their rich, hearty taste.
Cooking Collards
Collards can be bitter and tough if they’re not cooked properly. The key is to cook them long enough with enough liquid that they soften and mellow as well as seasoning with vinegar and sugar to brighten and sweeten their flavor. And a little bit of heat doesn’t hurt either!
Collard Sausage Bean Ragout Recipe
This recipe is adapted from a Collard Greens with Bacon recipe posted by Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes. The hot/sour/sweet balance of the “pot liquor” is right on! Switching out the bacon for sausage and adding beans to the dish makes it a satisfying hearty full meal. This collard sausage bean ragout is the perfect comfort food for a cool, fall or winter’s day!
- 4 links sweet Italian (or your favorite flavor) turkey or chicken sausage, sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion (or 1 small), chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 ½ tsps hot sauce (Sriracha works great here!)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 to 1 ½ lb collards (1 bunch)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 can northern beans, rinsed and drained
- Wash collards and strip leaves away from stems. Discard stems.
- Slice leaves into 1 inch wide by 2 inch long strips.
- Heat oil in a 5-6 quart pot on medium heat.
- Add sausage and brown on edges.
- Add onion and cook until translucent.
- Add salt, pepper, sugar, hot sauce and garlic and cook until garlic aroma comes.
- Add vinegar, raise heat a bit, and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up any brown bits in pan.
- Add chicken broth and collard greens and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer about 35 min until greens have lost their bright green color.
- Add beans and simmer 10 minutes more.
- Season if desired with additional hot sauce or serve hot sauce on the side if you have a group with varied heat preferences.
- Divide ragout between shallow bowls and add some of pot liquid.
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