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Kale Braised with Bacon and Onions
Mar. 3rd, 2012 07:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daedala*dusts off community*
I've been a terrible mod -- mea culpa. I wasn't cooking interesting vegetables for quite a while! Now I am, though, and I will post more. Hopefully this will encourager les autres.
This recipe is based on Cook's Illustrated's "Braised Winter Greens with Bacon and Onions." The results were fantastic; I'm not sure how well it will keep, but I'm sure it will be at least edible reheated. :) It seems like a good thing to know for when I next have kale that is maybe no longer fresh enough for kale chips, but still edible.
6 slices of bacon (I used 8, then scooped out 1/4 of the bacon bits to save in the fridge for later use)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
crushed red pepper to taste (recipe said 1/8 t, but I'm sure I used more)
1 lb of cleaned kale, stems removed (I bought it like this; the original recipe said 2 lbs of bunched kale or collards)
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. water
salt
pepper
1 T cider vinegar, plus more to taste
Cut the bacon into bacon bits and cook over medium-low heat in a big (6 qt minimum) Dutch oven until crisp. Scoop them out and pour off some of the bacon fat, so you have about 2T fat left. Save the bacon fat!
Add the onion and shallot and cook until soft and translucent. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add about half the greens (that's all that will likely fit!) and stir until they've wilted some. Add the stock and water and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan, then add the rest of the greens (I needed to add-and-stir a few times to get them all to fit). Cover and cook on medium low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (if using collards, add another 10 minutes).
Check to make sure the greens are fully-cooked and tender; if not, cook more until they are. Remove the lid and raise the temperature to cook until the liquid is mostly gone and the greens are sizzling a little, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add the cider vinegar, bacon bits, and 1 T reserved bacon fat.
I've been a terrible mod -- mea culpa. I wasn't cooking interesting vegetables for quite a while! Now I am, though, and I will post more. Hopefully this will encourager les autres.
This recipe is based on Cook's Illustrated's "Braised Winter Greens with Bacon and Onions." The results were fantastic; I'm not sure how well it will keep, but I'm sure it will be at least edible reheated. :) It seems like a good thing to know for when I next have kale that is maybe no longer fresh enough for kale chips, but still edible.
6 slices of bacon (I used 8, then scooped out 1/4 of the bacon bits to save in the fridge for later use)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
crushed red pepper to taste (recipe said 1/8 t, but I'm sure I used more)
1 lb of cleaned kale, stems removed (I bought it like this; the original recipe said 2 lbs of bunched kale or collards)
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. water
salt
pepper
1 T cider vinegar, plus more to taste
Cut the bacon into bacon bits and cook over medium-low heat in a big (6 qt minimum) Dutch oven until crisp. Scoop them out and pour off some of the bacon fat, so you have about 2T fat left. Save the bacon fat!
Add the onion and shallot and cook until soft and translucent. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add about half the greens (that's all that will likely fit!) and stir until they've wilted some. Add the stock and water and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan, then add the rest of the greens (I needed to add-and-stir a few times to get them all to fit). Cover and cook on medium low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (if using collards, add another 10 minutes).
Check to make sure the greens are fully-cooked and tender; if not, cook more until they are. Remove the lid and raise the temperature to cook until the liquid is mostly gone and the greens are sizzling a little, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add the cider vinegar, bacon bits, and 1 T reserved bacon fat.
