They don’t taste like cabbage or like spring greens. Turnip or mustard greens (which I assume you can get in the UK) would be closer tastewise even though they can’t withstand long cooking times. But five minutes of steaming, no, that’s not going to do much to approximate the taste.
No more I take it? If you don’t mind me asking why? (just curious)
I live in harlem now and was pleasantly surprised to find a number of the smaller local spots have vegetarian collard greens- there is a fairly large demand for halal food and it’s just easier for these spots to make the collards vegetarian and not deal with halal meats at all. There’s a smokey flavor that i suspect is a few drips liquid smoke and a nice onion/garlic flavor to them as well. I usually need to add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to perk them up a bit
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A lot of Southerners keep a bottle of pepper vinegar as a table condiment for greens and field peas. The peppers keep giving heat so you just top the bottle off with more vinegar from time to time.
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Collards have long, loose leaves. You can substitute with the greens from mustard, turnips, or beets. Swiss chard would work too, with a shorter cooking time.
Acidic ingredients slow the cell wall breakdown of vegetables. Wait till near the end to add the vinegar and the dish will cook faster.
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Really? Wow…thank you I’ve been adding it from the start and I was really surprised at the lack of results, thanks again!!
It’s also good with some soy sauce and mushrooms. Long and slow cooking is key. Also, you can chop it in a food processor prior to cooking, that way you don’t get stringy pieces. But you still have to remove the tough inner stem!
P.S., If you like collard greens, you have to try mustard greens. Same cooking method and even more minerally flavor. I love them.
A few tips from collard country:
If you are using fresh collards you can freeze them to make them more tender. Just a few hours will do it. They will cook up faster too.
Collards picked after the first frost are sweeter. Frost causes the plant to convert starches to sugars.
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While we’re on the subject, one off the episodes of A Chef’s Life has Vivian learning to make collard kraut. Like sauerkraut but with superstitions involved.
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Good tips, thanks.
I’ve seen collard seedlings in that area with signage indicated “Kraut Collards”.
I cut out the rib, cut into small pieces, blanch in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, drain and then sauté briefly in olive oil and whatever aromatics go with whatever else I’m having. They are delicious that way, no need to cook forever (although I make them that way too).
Watermelon radishes, mild and crisp.
Tasty in salad or warmed with butter and salt.
