These Ain't Yo Mama's Collard Greens

So I cooked, ate and liked Collard Greens. The wonderful foodandwine.com offered up Seared Scallops with Braised Collard Greens with Cider Sauce, and I accepted. You dyed-in-the-wool southerners might be thinking, “That’s not like any kind of green I’ve ever had”, and I agree. But these are my kind of greens. Big, fat, sweet sea scallops served over a bed of CSA collards slow cooked with bacon, onions, chicken stock and cider vinegar, and topped off with a sauce of wine, apple cider, and butter. Heavenly. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised.

Since suffering through the spinach of my youth, I had pretty much sworn off dark, leafy greens completely. Ok, there was that creamed spinach one time… But I was on vacation and it was only one bite. I love spinach salad, but something about the interaction between greens and heat turned me off. And so, it was with great trepidation that I cooked my first ever collard greens.

I slow braised the greens, seared up some monster scallops and plated everything up. Eating commenced, yummy noises were made and plates were cleaned. Everyone agreed the meal was awesome. By the way, in case any of my foodie followers are also fans of the grape, we ate the greens and scallops with a lovely, cold Muscadet. I will definitely be making this again should I find collards in my box. Traditional and Southern? Nope. Totally worth making? Heck yeah!

Seared Scallops with Braised Collard Greens with Cider Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 thick slices of bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds collard greens, stems and ribs discarded, leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons
1 cup dry white wine (use the same wine you’ll be drinking with dinner)
4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 very large diver scallops or 2 pounds large sea scallops
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup apple cider
In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the collard greens and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the collards are wilted, about 5 minutes longer.
Add all but 1/3 cup of the chicken stock to the collards and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately low heat until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add 2 tablespoons of the cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the butter and simmer for 10 more minutes; keep warm.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour, tapping off the excess. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the scallops and cook over high heat until golden on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook the scallops until lightly browned and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the scallops to a large plate and keep warm.
Return the skillet to high heat. Add the apple cider, the remaining 1/3 cup of the chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly reduced, 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter and shake the pan until the butter is incorporated. Strain into a bowl.
Using a slotted spoon, mound the collards on 4 or 8 plates. Top each serving with 2 or 4 scallops and sauce and serve.
Recipe courtesy of foodandwine.com

Tomorrow is another drop. I wonder what the box will hold.
Happy Eating!
Shar