Collard Greens with Bacon (Louisiana recipe)
Why I Love This Recipe
I found this recipe on Simply Recipes. This is what the author of the post has to say:
"My father found this Louisiana recipe for collard greens in the Wall St. Journal earlier this year that we've now made several times. Each time I wonder why we don't make them more often, they're so good! The combination of the bacon, onions, sweetened cider vinegar and hot pepper sauce seem to neutralize the natural bitterness of the greens. Do you like collard greens? If so, what's your favorite way of preparing them? Please let us know in the comments."
Ingredients You'll Need
Chef's tip: don't overcook the bacon. It should be barely brown around the edges and still somewhat raw-looking in the middle.
Ingredients
4 strips thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Several dashes hot sauce
1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips (can substitute kale or chard)
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
Directions
Method
1 Put bacon in a large pot and cook on medium heat until it just starts to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally. Mix in the onions and cook until they're soft and starting to brown, stirring occasionally.
2 Add the garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about a minute. Pour in the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
3 Stir in the collard greens and the chicken broth (or water) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the greens are completely wilted and have lost their brightness, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce and serve with a generous ladle of the pan juices from the pot
