So the produce co-op I joined dropped off a [Trump]'uuuge[/Trump] bunch of collards on Friday, and I have never cooked collards before.
Can I treat it like kale?
Anyone have any favorite recipes for collards?
I was thinking of making a chicken-stck based soup like I would with kale, but… is that appropriate?
Also, I think I have too much for just the one soup.
Mmmmm…collard greens. Cook them the same way you would mustard greens: Boil up a big pot of water with some ham hocks or salt pork in it. Rinse your greens well, shred, and add to the pot a handful at a time, allowing the previous addition to wilt before you add the next. Boil well. Add salt. Drain and serve. I like mine with hot sauce. Others like to add chopped ham, etc.
The best greens are a mixture of collards, mustard, and several others. They also freeze well.
Freeze before or after cooking? If before, should I blanch them first?
Do I boil until they are soft but still bright, or should I cook them until the color starts tos often too? In other words, do I want it the color of my grandmother’s spinach (army green) or my spinach (bright green)?
To freeze, blanch first.
As to the color and texture…my mother always boiled them like spinach. I think that is a bit much myself. They need to be limp, but not mushy. Go for the brighter green.
The best greens I ever had were a mix of spinach, mustard and collard greens. I think they used smoked ham hocks in that batch, because they were nicely smokey underneath.
That’s the way I do it, with a ham hock. Only I chop it into large pieces instead of shredding it. I add the greens all at once. My ex-fiancée, who lived in the South, said my greens were the best she’s ever eaten. 
No idea why. It’s just greens, ham hock, water and salt.
According to dictionary.com collard greens are smooth-leaved kale.
I cook 'em the same way Silenius describes, but for another take on it you might want to look up the Portuguese/Brazilian method of preparation. Collards are very popular in the Brazilian and Portuguese restaurants I’ve been in, and they tend to serve it shredded, removed from the bigger stems, and lightly cooked in something flavorful (I have no idea what).
AHunter3: You sure those were collards and not lacinato kale (also known as black kale or dinosaur kale)?
Caldo Verde, one of the signature Portuguese/Brazilian dishes, is a soup of shredded kale, potatoes, and linguica sausage.
When I’m feeling like soul food (hey, I am a native of Southern California 
) I like to make ham hocks and collard greens, ham hocks and black eyed peas, and cornbread. I suppose I should make some fried chicken too, but the other things are so good I don’t know if I’d have room in me belly.
Johnny, try the mix I mentioned above. Heavenly. You’ll think you’ve died and gone to Georgia! 
silenus: I’ve just noticed you’re in SoCal. (Have we met?)
Have you been to Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch in Marina del Rey? I went there in the late-'80s/early-'90s and it was so good I couldn’t stop eating. I was literally in pain when I left. (Word to self: Doggy bag.) I had the fried chicken, collard greens, black eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, and I think I may have had some cobbler. Sounds like they’ve moved to a bigger place since I’ve been there.
We’ve never met, but I have relatives in Washington (Seedro Wooley, to be precise). Never been to Kizzy’s, but it just got bookmarked for the first weekend I have off. Thanks for the tip. Sounds like a belly-buster.
The menus invariably identify it as collards, and it is served, always, as a side vegetable with no sausage or anything else. It may not literally be the exact same plant (although it has a similar taste despite being prepared differently from collards as I otherwise know them). After all, many Chinese restaurants describe kung po chicken as “chicken with peanuts and chile peppers” but the peppers are not ancho chiles but rather a related hot pepper.
It doesn’t taste as much like kale (which I’ve also had) as collards.
I just posted this incidental comment in MPSIMS, but it goes with this thread too.
The market had catfish nuggets last week, so I bought some. I fried them in canola oil with Fry Easy ‘Cajun-style’ fish fry. They were good.
Now if only I could learn how to make proper Southern fried chicken…
Proper southern fried chicken is easy.
After your chicken is cut up and washed, salt up some flour and roll each piece of chicken in it while still wet.
Fry until golden brown in a deep cast-iron skillet.
Success!
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
I made do with what I had on hand. I had no ham hock or salt pork. My choices were bacon or lardo. I chose the bacon because it’s a lot less expensive than the lardo, and I was willing to sacrifice it to the experiment.
I brought diluted chicken broth to a simmer & added the bacon and several large handfuls of shredded collards. I let them cook a while, then added a little onion.
They simmered for about a hour, I think. They were tender but not mushy, and still a nice deep green.
I fished out the bacon & served the greens & broth as a light soup. Very good!
I think I’ll be investigating all the other bitter greens I’ve never cooked before.
Of course, to be really Southren you need to crumble good cast-iron cooked cornbread into the broth (which is known as pot liquor) and eat it with a spoon.
Another good collard addition (not necessarily genuinely Southern but yummy nonetheless): Caramelized onions.
While the collards are cooking, saute sliced onions over low heat, in olive oil, very slowly until brown and soft. This should take at least 15 minutes, or you’re cooking them too hot. Toss 'em into the cooked drained greens. They’re sweet, and contrast nicely with the smokiness and slight bitterness of the greens.
I really like greens. I also like to cook up a smaller amount of chopped kale or mustard or collard and add them to my mashed potatoes along with the butter and milk.
I’m very happy with Alton Brown’s recipe for collard greens.
I cut mine into thin strips (just roll them up in a tube and cut) and fry them in plenty of olive oil and lightly browned garlic.
It’s one of my favorite things in the world.
I love those really dark, bitter leafy brassicas; I even like unblanched wild Sea Kale.
I like shredding them (roll up and slice) and throwing them into a stir fry, near the end of cooking, or just steaming them as a vegetable to go with a Sunday roast; I usually cook an extra portion of greens and some additional gravy; kale/spring greens with thick, salty gravy… mmmmm