Try this twist on Mama’s Collard Greens for a fantastic Southern dish

There are a couple of recipes I’ve written over the years that cause pure panic when a reader misplaces them. I get copious emails asking for help. I always laugh and send out a copy. One of those recipes is Mama’s Collard Greens with My Twist. This year was no exception.

Why, with so many of you believing Mama’s collards are so awesome, would I mess with the recipe? Insanity!

It’s simply because the South is no longer a region of just folks born here, which I think is a good thing, and a blending of foodways can make for an interesting table.

This has come to my attention lately, thanks to Carol, my physical therapist, who is from Boston, by way of Chicago. Her husband and 14-year-old son are avid cooks. She talks to me about food when she is on the verge of inflicting pain. Her family tries to assimilate Southern foods on their table.

“Collards!” she exclaimed one day, “How do you eat them? We made some and they were so uneatable we threw them out!”

So, I went on to explain about cabbage collards, and “pot likkers,” those things that make collards great. I even gave her a copy of my book “Southern Sides.” Finally, I decided to make some collards for her family.

Collards can be bitter to some folk, especially to those who didn’t grow up eating, or hating them, as I did as a kid. So, let’s cut the bitterness. Actually, it’s as simple as throwing some mustard and turnip greens into the mix.

Great collards start at the farmer’s market. There you will find cabbage collards, a slight heading variety, that’s a bit sweeter. Also, fresher and local mustard and turnips. You may find the step to chill the “pot likker” and stir the fat that rises to the top and congeals back into the greens odd, but it is essential to great collards.

While no collards will ever be as good as Mama’s, I think you will find these mighty tasty.

This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Try this twist on Mama’s Collard Greens for a fantastic Southern dish."