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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
They’re loaded with vitamins, fiber, minerals and the phytonutrients that seem to have enough health benefits to make you live forever, but I love leafy greens because they’re delicious. For me, leafy greens come in only two forms: the dark green nubby version of kale called cavolo nero in Italian (which goes by lacinato, dinosaur or Tuscan kale in the produce section) and collard greens.
Both are actually the same species, Brassica oleracea, a branch of the big cabbage family that includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and gai lan. I like to call kale and collards “sturdy greens” to differentiate them from the quick-cooking leafy greens such as spinach and chard. Sturdy greens take some time to get tasty.
I usually cook them both the same way: I chop an onion and start cooking it in olive oil while I chop the greens using a cheffy technique called chiffonade (rolling them into a tight cylinder and slicing crosswise to get thin green ribbons). I like to cut them again at a right angle so the ribbons aren’t long enough to make eating them a challenge. The chopped greens and a couple of cups of water go in the pot, and I add a shot of soy sauce for umami and vinegar to brighten things up. Then I cover the pot, turn the heat way down, and let it simmer for at least 45 minutes.
For this dish, I add a few whole potatoes to the pot of collards. When they’re very soft, I fish them out and smash them into craggy chunks, and then stir them back into the greens. The resulting stew-like dish makes a decent meal by itself, but alongside some good beans and maybe a chunk of cornbread, it’s a feast.
Recipe
- 1 smallish onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher-style sea salt
- 1 bunch collard greens, chopped
- 2 cups water
- 3 yellow potatoes (peeling optional)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Note: You can make this simple dish more complex by adding something porky (sausage, bacon, or even just ground pork; use about a quarter pound and cook it with the onion). Or add the potatoes to the Creamy Collard Greens With Peanut Butter recipe I shared in January 2023 for a new twist on that dish.
In a 3-to-4-quart saucepan or a Dutch oven with a lid, cook the onion in the olive oil with the salt for about 5 minutes while you chop the greens. Add the greens and water, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.
Add the potatoes and cook for another 30 minutes or so, and then stick a fork in the spuds to make sure they’re done and about to fall apart. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate, and then crush them into bite-size chunks. Stir them back into the greens, add the soy sauce and vinegar, and cook for another few minutes. Serve hot with cornbread or something bready to soak up the pot likker.