Collard Greens alla Italiana
This was an experiment, I bought these beautiful collards at the Marion Square Market on Saturday and didn’t want to make them in the same soupy Southern way. I perused the internet a bit to find new ideas and gather some of them to come up with this.
One of the ideas that I’ve had since I moved back to the States was to start creating more recipes that used food traditions from both Italy and the States, but mainly Southern fare. Collard greens are ridiculously Southern, but we tend to only make them one way, and though it is great, there has to be more to them than ham hocks and the cooking time of 3 hours.
This recipe is my first try, the flavor was great, though I need to work on its texture, the collards weirdly made our mouths really dry.
Collard Greens with Raisins and Pine Nuts
- 1 bunch fresh collard greens
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
Pull the leaves of the collards from the stems. Discard the stems (small stems may be cooked with the leaves). Coarsely chop or tear the collards. Wash thoroughly in cold water and drain.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the collards and allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Strain in a colander.
Heat oil in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat and add the whole cloves of garlic. When garlic starts to sizzle add boiled collard greens, raisins and pine nuts and sauté for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Serve immediately or at room temperature.
