Country Kitchen (in the city) healthy delicious meal inspiration for everyone

collard greens and polenta grits
kimchi collards & polenta grits

collard greens ingredients

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!!

a little wine for me, a little for the greens

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!!

strip the leaves from the stems

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 down with oilve oil and garlic

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

polents grits

Serve and enjoy!!

collard greens and polenta grits

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

 

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