Red Wine Collard Greens

Collard greens– primarily a southern vegetable stewed in broth-water with bacon, salt and pepper.  I want something different this time, something apart from the typical version of serving these delectable greens for a meal that calls for a corned beef brisket and cornmeal muffins…  a fantastic feast!– But I want to season them the way I want it done– typical me!  

I’ll put sweet red wine in a large pot, directly poured over chopped mushrooms that land safely on a bed of sautéed shallots and chopped bacon with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  I’ll give it plenty of black pepper, then thinly slice several garlic cloves for the braising liquid.  

Following that, add soy sauce and Valentina Mexican hot sauce for the chili side of it.  After washing healthy vibrant collard greens, they will need to be torn away from the stems to toss into the pot, lots of them since they will cook down to hardly the amount of the original quantity.  Chicken stock poured, reaching just below the amount of greens once they have settled– just so I don’t have too much liquid!  I want some chick peas added, having them saturate the liquid seasonings and gourmet flavor of this entire arrangement.  I’ll cook the greens until crispy-soft, then turn off the heat after they have reached a hot temp, cover the filled pot, and allow to set for 30 minutes to finish cooking just right.  I don’t want them to cook to a mushy stage.  I’ll taste for possibly more addition of soy sauce, Valentina, salt and pepper.  This is the way I eat my collard greens; they totally rock!  And I just might splash a little more sweet red wine…  or opt for it in a goblet to drink!

meaty collards