Nikki's Collard Greens
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Recipe courtesy of Nikki Scott for Food Network Kitchen

Collard Greens

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr
  • Active: 25 min
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Before the kale craze, there were collard greens, a go-to veggie in African American households. The process of cleaning and prepping the greens is key for making them deliciously tender and tasty. Cut the leaves from the tough center rib before slicing—the thinner, the better. Collards are traditionally cooked with smoked meat like ham hocks or turkey wings, adding an extra dimension of flavor to the bitter greens.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Rinse and dry the collard greens. Cut each leaf in half and remove and discard the center rib. Stack a few leaves on top of each other, roll together tightly and thinly slice. Continue with the remaining leaves. Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, stir in the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the smoked turkey and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 3 to 5 minutes. Add about a third of the collard greens, then sprinkle with about a third each of the garlic powder, onion powder and paprika; repeat 2 more times with the remaining greens, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the chicken broth and vinegar and stir or toss to incorporate (a pair of tongs works great for this).
  3. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted, tender and darker in color, 30 to 40 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.