The cheap, leafy green veggie that is often overcooked into slimy, tasteless mush. Did you guess collard greens or did the title give it away? Hmmm. We only eat them once a year (shame on us), New Year’s Day (some silly ‘good luck’ tradition), well…maybe with BBQ every once in a while too. So I imagine the aforementioned description is most people’s idea of collard greens and is likely the reason why it’s a low-level, bottom of the totem pole kind of vegetable. It bothers me that kale is the new “vogue” vegetable–while collards are closely related and much, much cheaper. They are the underdog. So, collard greens, this is our ode to you and a peek into their un-slimy, un-mushy, un-tasteless (tasteful?) side.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of collard greens, roughly 8-10 cups of leaves
• 1 lb fresh chorizo, casing removed by slitting with a knife and un-peeling from the meat
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1/2 c apple cider vinegar, we use Bragg
• 1 T coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 T hot sauce
• s & p

Method

In a medium-sized soup pot (you’ll need a lid, so choose accordingly), brown the chorizo (you may need a bit of fat to help get things going).

While the chorizo is browning, prepare the collard greens by removing the leaves from the thick, fibrous stems. You can do that by cutting away the leaf with a knife or just tear the leaf with your hands. Make sure the collards are in bite size pieces though, no one wants to have what looks like seaweed dribbling down their face while they eat.

Add the stock, vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce. Place the lid, slightly ajar, over the soup pot and let everything cook together, about 20 minutes, until the collards have wilted down and softened. Taste and adjust seasonings, you may want more vinegar or hot sauce.