Smokey Sauteed Collards or Kale

Yesterday I posted a recipe for sauteed rainbow chard.  I mentioned that I normally saute collard greens or kale so I thought I'd give you my method for preparing those (which is similar - just different added flavorings).  I don't do much measuring so for those of you who like exact measurements, I apologize.  It's sort of fun to play around with it to fit your tastes anyway.  These taste great with so many dishes - tonight we're having collards with meatless BBQ ribs and sweet potato fries.

 

curly kale

Smoky Sautéed Collards or Kale 

Ingredients:

1 bunch collards or kale, rinsed well
1 sweet onion, such as Vidalia (if it's really large I just use half)
1-2 cloves garlic

Olive oil 
1 cup no-chicken broth (may sub vegetable broth or water)
Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, to taste
Liquid smoke, to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare your greens (see below).  Set the leaves aside.  Cut off the the rough ends of the stems and chop the rest into small pieces.  Put into a bowl and set aside.

2. Dice or chop the onion into small strips and put in the bowl with the stems.

3. Mince the garlic and add to the bowl.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Pour in olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add all the vegetables except for the leaves.  Saute for a few minutes, adding a little broth as necessary.  I usually cover with a lid and simmer for a few minutes until the stems are soft and the onions have begun to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes. 

5. Add the leaves to the pan.  If there are a lot you may have to add some, cover, and let them cook down a little until there is room to add the remaining leaves.  Pour in remaining broth.  Sprinkle with a few generous dashes of soy sauce and liquid smoke.  Toss with tongs until everything is evenly mixed.  

6. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the leaves are bright green and tender, tossing a few times and adding more liquid if necessary.  I let the collards go for about 10 minutes; kale will need a little less time. 
 
7. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

To prep collards: Fold each leaf in half and cut along the rib, separating the leaves into two long strips.  Set the ribs/stems aside.  Do this for each leaf.  Working in batches, pile up some of the cut leaves and roll them up, starting at the top and rolling down to the bottom.  Then, take your knife and cut the rolls into 1-inch sections so you end up with a bunch of collard strips.  Repeat with remaining leaves.

To prep kale: Kale is much easier to prepare.  I usually use curly kale so I just tear off pieces of the leaves, usually keeping the ribs since they aren't as hard as the collard ribs.  



Serves 2.