In Between Days

In between winter and spring, we seem to still be stuck with winter—as far as vegetable choices go.

Wintertime sucks the resolve of good intentions dry. At least when it comes to your pledge to eat local food. Remember that one? You made it when the bounty of last summer had your kitchen overflowing with tomatoes, squash, green beans, and every kind of berry you could imagine? You felt so good about yourself, so virtuous, so pure, and yes, just a little bit smug.

Winter slaps all of that self-satisfaction right out of you. Not a lot grows around here between fall and spring. And the stuff that does grow is kind of funky: things like collards or turnips or cabbage, and of course, the ubiquitous winter squash. What kind of food is that?

It sounds a lot like the kind of food grandmothers used to serve. And although grandmother food is technically considered comfort food, winter vegetables don’t really do it for me. They’re decidedly unsexy and all of them seem to be pretty stinky. Greens have a lot of sulfur compounds, and they annoyingly billow out from the kitchen while you’re cooking, masking whatever little allure they originally might have had.

Guilt, however, informs a lot of what I do and what I don’t do. Over the winter, I managed to join three co-ops which have had me driving all over town each week. In order to justify the endless driving, I’ve been forced to figure out how to cook the available vegetables in a way that doesn’t drive them from the plate straight into the trashcan.

Pork fat is key.

Please stop screaming now, I can explain. Pork fat (otherwise known as LARD) is actually making a comeback. In some circles, it never even went away. Here's a link to reprint of a piece I wrote for Style Weekly's lovely, glossy, offshoot Belle a while back that goes into the particulars.

The short version is this: Despite recent reports,* more compelling studies have shown animal fat really isn’t all that bad for you.

Now, I’m not advocating throwing large amounts of lard or butter into everything you cook. I don’t, in fact, advocate throwing large amounts of olive oil into everything either (although it’s one of my very favorite things). All I’m trying to do here is preach a little variety along with moderation.

But I’ve veered off course. Back to the vegetables. Not too long ago, I looked with suspicion at a head of collard greens sitting on my counter. Most recipes call for a quick five to ten minute sauté, and I almost always end up with a lot of chewy, fibrous greens that make me feel virtuous because they taste so healthy.

Recipe after the jump

Virtue can be kind of a hollow feeling at mealtime, and I need more than that--even out of a side dish. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to cook the life out the greens in the way of most Southern grandmothers.  I needed a method to make the collards tender, while at the same time, infuse them with flavor.

Braising was the perfect solution. First the greens are sautéed in a little pork fat and then simmered in chicken broth for about fifteen minutes. The result is meltingly tender, sulfur-free, and shot through with complex flavor.

Re-vamped Collards Even the Non-Virtuous Can Love

1-2 tablespoons pork fat (or olive oil)
2 cloves of garlic, minced and divided
Sprinkle of hot pepper flakes
1 ½ to 2 pounds of collards (about one head), washed thoroughly, tough stems removed, and sliced thinly
1 cup of chicken broth
1-2 teaspoons sherry or red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Melt the pork fat or olive oil in a Dutch oven, add one minced garlic clove and the red pepper flakes, and sauté over medium-low heat until the garlic is fragrant. Add the collards, along with a sprinkle of salt and toss to coat thoroughly.

Allow to wilt slightly and then add chicken broth. Turn up to high until the broth starts to bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover.

After ten minutes, remove cover and turn up heat to a brisk simmer. After about five minutes or so, most, if not all, of the broth should have bubbled away. If not, adjust the heat so that it will. When the stock is gone, remove the pan from heat and sprinkle with the remaining minced garlic and the sherry vinegar. Toss to combine and serve. Find yourself eating collards enthusiastically for the first time ever.

*Notice that the typical male subject who died earlier was “likely a current smoker, have a higher body mass index, and have a higher daily intake of energy, total fat, and saturated fat, and they tended to have lower education and physical activity levels and lower fruit, vegetable, fiber, and vitamin supplement intakes.” In other words, a schlub with ingrained, unhealthy habits all the way around and back again. No wonder these particular guys developed heart disease and died sooner than the others.

Comments

[veron]

I was wondering why when I first fried some chicken here in the U.S. it just did not taste the same until I realized we used lard back in the Philippines.
I need to post the picture of a store at the Ferry bldng in San Francisco that said: "Yes, Lard is sold here."

[Tea]

I hear you on the winter veg situation. Boy, do I hear you!
I'm writing about beets this week. 'Nuf said.

[grocery philippines]

Hmmm...I also love vegetables. My mom says it is really good. Thanks for this, for now I crave for a vegetable salad.

-krisha-