A Love Affair With Southern Cooking_ Recipes and Recollections - Jean Anderson [121]
One small cabbage (2 to 2¼ pounds), quartered, cored, and each quarter sliced 1 inch thick
1/3 cup chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1. Fry the bacon in a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until the drippings cook out and only crisp brown bits remain. Scoop the bacon onto paper toweling and reserve. Pour off the drippings, then return 2 tablespoons of them to the skillet.
2. Add the cabbage, turn in the drippings for 2 to 3 minutes until nicely glazed, then add the broth, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and separating the pieces of cabbage, for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp-tender.
3. Return the reserved bacon to the skillet, toss the cabbage well, then taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
4. Serve hot with baked ham, ham loaf, or roast pork, turkey, or chicken.
CLASSIC COLLARDS (OR TURNIP GREENS)
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
The first time I ever ate collards—in the Fred A. Olds Elementary School cafeteria in Raleigh, North Carolina—they were prepared exactly this way. So were turnip greens, which were served on alternate days. Choose tender young collards if you can find them; they won’t need a full hour to cook, perhaps only 30 or 40 minutes. Traditionalists, however, like their greens “well done.” Tip: I find collards easier to wash if I trim and slice them first. I also find the rinse water clinging to the leaves almost enough to cook them, although die-hard Southerners prefer a kettle full of water. Note: Because of the saltiness of the fatback, these greens are not likely to need additional salt.
3 large bunches (about 2 pounds) collards or turnip greens, trimmed of coarse stems
4 ounces fatback, rinsed well to remove excess salt, then quartered
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 to 1½ cups water, if needed
1. Remove the coarse central veins from the collard leaves, then stack 4 or 5 leaves together and slice crosswise at 1-inch intervals. When all of the greens have been prepared, wash them well in several changes of cool water.
2. Pile the greens in a large nonreactive kettle, add the fatback and pepper, cover, and cook over moderate heat 15 minutes. Stir and if the greens seem dry, add 1 cup of the water. Cover again and cook 15 minutes more. Stir and if most of the water has evaporated, add the final ½ cup. Note: Young collards and turnip greens may be done after 30 minutes.
3. If the greens are not good and soft, cover again and cook 15 to 30 minutes longer.
4. Serve in soup bowls with plenty of “pot likker.” Accompany with fresh-baked corn bread and a cruet of cider vinegar to drizzle over the greens.
NEW SOUTHERN COLLARDS (OR TURNIP GREENS)
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Many young Southerners are abandoning the recipes of their mothers and grandmothers and cooking old favorites in new and innovative ways. These collards stir-fried in olive oil with no stinting on garlic prove the point.
3 large bunches (about 2 pounds) collards or turnip greens, trimmed of coarse stems
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (include some green tops)
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
1. Remove the coarse central veins from the collard leaves, then stack 4 or 5 leaves together and slice crosswise at 1-inch intervals. When all of the greens have been prepared, wash them well in the sink in several changes of cool water. Spin the collards as dry as possible in a salad spinner, then pat dry on paper toweling. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a very large, deep skillet over moderately high heat for 2 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until limp and golden.
3. Add the collards and pepper and stir-fry 5 minutes or until the leaves glisten and begin to wilt. Cover and steam 10 to 15 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Mix in salt to taste.
4. Serve hot with roast chicken or pork or broiled chicken. Good, too, with baked