Last Cutting of Overwintered Collards

Collards get a bad rap. Some folks say they can't stand the way they smell when cooking. Others have bad memories of disgusting mounds of a dark-green, stringy vegetable piled on their school lunch plate. While it is true that improperly cleaned collards can be stringy ... and overcooked collards are often slimy and will emit an unpleasant sulfur smell ... it doesn't have to be that way!

Widely considered to be a healthy food, collards are a good source of vitamin C and soluble fiber, and they contain multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties.  We southerners love our greens, but tradition says they must be boiled for hours to cook the bitter out of them. Not so! Collards don't have to be overcooked to be delicious.

Here's how to prepare tasty, nutritious, appetizing collards. Wash the leaves carefully; remove the stems; coarsely chop or cut into strips. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add collards; cook 8 to 10 minutes until soft.  Remove greens from hot water; plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process and to set the bright green color; drain.  Now they're ready to season and prepare in any number of ways!

Below is a recipe I recently discovered, adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry.  When served collards prepared this way my sister, Janet, said they didn't even taste like collards!

Citrus Collards with Raisins
4 servings

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon course sea salt
2 large bunches collard greens, rinse and drained, ribs removed, cut into a chiffonade*(about 12 cups)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.  Add the collards and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened.  Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water to cool the collards.

Remove the collards from the heat, drain, and plunge them into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking and set the color of the greens. Drain by gently pressing the greens against a colander.
In a medium-size sauté pan, combine the olive oil and the garlic; raise the heat to medium. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the collards, raisins, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add orange juice, cook an additional 15 seconds. Do not overcook (collards should be bright green). Season with additional salt to taste if needed and serve immediately.

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*Chiffonade is a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and basil) are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons.  "Chiffon" is French for "rag" referring to the fabric-like strips that result from this technique.