Pictured above are the ingredients for the collard greens: a turnip, carrots, collard greens, vegetable base, garlic and kimchi. Oh… and if you have some red wine in the house, that helps too!!

As a side note, Astor Wines has definitely dropped their prices since Trader Joe’s planted themselves up the street. This medium bodied spicy fruity Argentinean delight is under $4, so a glass for me and a glass for the collards isn’t going to hurt the budget!!

As shown above, strip the leaves from the stem. Chop roughly and wash thoroughly. (While the stems may not go so well in this dish, they can be saved and used to make a veggie stock. I cooked these collard stems into my next batch of dog food.)

In a large pot heat a couple tablespoons of oil. Add the collards to the warm oil in batches, allowing them to cook down a bit before adding another handful. Toss in about three cloves of chopped garlic, saute for another minute being careful not to burn the leaves. Add about a 1/2 cup of red wine, toss well for a few seconds and then add about 4 cups of water to the pot.

Cover and cook for about 25 minutes. In the meantime prepare the veggies: peel and then chop the turnip into one inch sections, and cut the carrot into large pieces. Add the veggies to the pot, as well as a generous helping of kimchi and a teaspoon full of vegetable base. Cook covered for another 20 minutes on medium low heat, stirring occasionally and checking to make sure the liquid is not evaporating at too quick a rate. If it is, just add more water.

After about 40 minutes you can uncover the collards. Stick a fork in the carrot to make sure they are soft, and cook uncovered for a few more minutes while you prepare the polenta grits.  Generally, collards need at least 45 minutes of cooking time to soften up nicely and create a healthy delicious broth (potliquor).

Cook the grits according to the directions for cereal… you’ll figure it out!!

Serve and enjoy!!

(If you’re not going for a veg dish hit it up with some sausage or chops.)