One of my VERY favorites is, well, ANYTHING in the Leafy Greens Family.
Collards, Turnips, Mustard, even Poke Salad. (You have to be careful with Poke Salad—it can be poisonous. But it was my Granny’s favorite, and she taught me how to find it. In the wild.)
Well, yesterday, I found a beautiful bunch of local Savannah collards at our favorite little grocer near us in Habersham Village.
If you have read a bit on my blog, you know that HR (Husband Robert) is the fancy pants chef, and I’m the I-cook-what-Mama-taught-me fellow. Usually in cast iron.
So last night I pulled out our cast iron (heavy!) Dutch oven. (Okay, technically Robert pulled it out.)
And I went to work.
First, you gotta wash the greens, if you buy them fresh. And why wouldn’t you? A time-consuming task.
My Washed-Collards Bouquet.
I cut the thickest stems away from the leaves.
But don’t throw them away! I make homemade vegetable broth with them.
After cooking the ham hocks in water to provide the base for the “pot liquor,” I sauté onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil in the Dutch oven, pour the liquid from the ham hocks in, layer the ham hocks on top, and cover until the greens wilt.
Two hours of slow simmering later …
HR loves my pickled jalapeños, so he had to put some of that “sauce” and pickles on his greens.
The beautifully delicious “pot liquor” …
See it? HR got every last drop.
Oh, and what to do with the leftovers? Well, give some to ex-wife Donna, of course.
Yesterday, I fashioned my only-once-a-season summer tradition …
Neal’s Savannah Summer Tomato Pie.
Both labor and time-intensive, it is nevertheless a delight to the eyes, nose and tastebuds.
First the ingredients. Home grown tomatoes, if possible, and if not, locally grown ones at a produce stand or farmers market. HR and I get ours at Davis Produce a few miles away from us near Tybee Island.
Fresh basil and chives.
Diced bacon and shallots.
Wait, here’s a riveting video!
Layering cheese, bacon, herbs and shallot mixture with the tomatoes.
NealEnJoy 