Southern-Style Collard Greens with bacon
A perfect side dish to complement roasted meats. These tender, flavorful collard greens simmered with smoky bacon, garlic, and a hint of apple cider vinegar are a true Southern classic. Serve them with warm, buttery cornbread for a comforting and satisfying meal!
- 500 g collard greens or kale
- 250 g bacon (chopped)
- 2 onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 l chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar (or few drops of white wine vinegar)
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt, pepper
- 100 ml oil
Wash the collard greens (or kale) thoroughly. Remove the thick middle stems, then stack and roll the leaves before slicing them into 2-3 cm wide strips.
Place the greens in a large pot and add enough chicken stock to fully cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours (or less if using kale) until the greens are tender.
Once softened, pour out any remaining liquid from the pot.
Heat a bit of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, then stir in the diced onions and sauté until soft.
Add the bacon-onion mixture to the pot with the greens. Stir in the minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, salt, and a touch of sugar. Let everything cook together for another 30 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld beautifully.
If you are using kale, you don't need to cook it further, just season it at cover for a few minutes to bring all the flavours together.