If there’s any vegetable that says comfort food, it’s the Collard Green. Anywhere below the Mason Dixon line, this inexpensive and nutrient packed green is all over the place. During my time in Atlanta, I was hard pressed to find a restaurant that didn’t serve them, so when took over a busy hotel restaurant. I had to figure something out with them that make them different, but just similar enough to not scare off the natives. The recipe was so simple, pork fat onions, greens and chicken stock. How do you mess with it and make it different? The answer was in my glass at the bar. I’d braise them beer,,but shoot, I just don’t want to use any pork product. I want to use something out here and unheard of. The next day in the butcher shop, I was looking through some of the cured meats we had and there it was….Gunaciale. That Beautiful Italian cured pig cheek. Congratulations Altanta, you now have my secret you’ve been asking for. This recipe makes about four portions. 2 bunches Collard Greens, chopped (yes, pick the leaves from the ribs, and wash them) 1 onion, julienne 4 oz. Guanciale 2 bottles NICE Lager Beer (sorry , but the cheap stuff ain’t cuttin’ it here)
- Start up a nice heavy pot on low heat. Add the Gunaciale and let it cooke slowly to render the fat out. You dont’ want it to crisp up, but you want to cook as much fat out as possible. It shoudl take abotu 10-15 minutes
- Add your onions and cook them until there is just a bit of color, like this:
- Now add your chopped greens. Sweat these out and let the wilt for just couple of minutes. Then add your beer
- Cover your greens and let them simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until they’re tender.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to wash your greens before you get started, even if they came in a bag. There’s a lot of dirt and grit that can make the eating experience unpleasant, and who wants unpleasant greens? that begin said, if you can’t find Gunciale where you are, you can always use pork jowl, or plain old salt pork. Nothing wrong with that. Feel free to play with the beers you use too. For example, if you want something with a nuttier flavor that complements the bitterness for the greens, heavy IPA will do you just fine. If you want something heartier, a good strong strout does the job. let me know what you used in the comments below. Happy Eating -The Doctor