Braised Winter Greens - Kale, Collard

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http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/4603-braised-winter-greens?extcode=NPE0Z00CZ
BRAISED WINTER GREENS
Published January 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a one-pot winter greens recipe with no parcooking. To achieve this, we sautéed half of the greens before adding the rest with a little bit of liquid and covered the pot. When the greens had almost the tender-firm texture we wanted, we removed the lid to allow the liquid to cook off.… read more

Braised Winter Greens We wanted a one-pot approach to turning meaty greens like kale and collards tender, but without spending hours cooking or leaving them awash in liquid. Watch the Video
SERVES 4

For best results, be sure your greens are fully cooked and tender in step 1 before moving on to step 2.

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Ingredients

  • INGREDIENTS
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
  • 5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 pounds kale or collard greens, ribs removed, leaves chopped into 3-inch pieces and rinsed (about 24 loosely packed cups; see related step-by-step below)
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • Table salt
  • 2 - 3 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
  • Ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add half of greens and stir until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Add remaining greens, broth, water, and ¼ teaspoon salt; quickly cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 25 to 35 minutes for kale and 35 to 45 minutes for collards.

2. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated (bottom of pot will be almost dry and greens will begin to sizzle), 8 to 12 minutes. Remove pot from heat; stir in 2 teaspoons lemon juice and remaining tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and remaining teaspoon lemon juice. Serve.

TECHNIQUE

REMOVING THE STEM FROM GREENS

When prepping hearty greens like collards or kale for our Braised Winter Greens, cutting out the central rib from each leaf individually can be tedious and time-consuming. Here’s a way to speed up the process.


1. STACK three or four leaves on top of each other, large to small, aligning their central ribs.


2. FOLD the stack of greens in half along the central rib.


3. TRIM the central rib using one knife stroke. Repeat with the remaining leaves.


4. CHOP the leaves crosswise into 3-inch pieces.




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