Collard greens and beer brats, that's what this is. We still had some Collard Greens, so I figured what better to pair with the brats than that? Lee came in from work and sat down at the computer, so I enlisted his help.
"Find me a recipe for collard greens, honey." He obliged me, and first one up was Melissa D'Arabian's Braised Collard Greens.
"It takes a hour for this one, pass," Lee says.
"By the time you take a shower, it'll almost be ready", I promised.
So I browned the brats in a little oil, then added a bottled of beer and let them simmer in a covered saucepan. I tried to follow the collard recipe, but first of all I didn't have any bacon, but I did have some reserved bacon grease in the frig. So I heated a generous dab of grease (for flavor!) and set about getting the greens cooked. The grease melted and I added red pepper flakes (the same kind you get with a box of pizza) and some smashed garlic. The recipe didn't call for onion, but I had a half of one in the frig so I figured why not? Next I added the sliced up collard greens and let them wilt. A half cup of chicken broth went into the pan, then I put the lid on and set it to medium-low heat.
About that time I got to thinking that we need some spaghetti noodles or something else to go with the brats. Hmmmm, I found some red lentils in the pantry. Reading the directions on the packet, it said 12 minutes. That will work! So I mad a batch of lentils, incorporating more red pepper and some red wine in the dish.
By the time my husband came downstairs, dinner was ready to be dished up. I served it in pasta bowls and sliced the brats on top of the lentils and greens. Lee found a movie on the telly and we sat down to enjoy "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp.
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BRAISED COLLARD GREENS
Ingredients
2 strips bacon, cut into small lardons1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 large bunch collard greens, stemmed and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cook the bacon in a deep saute pan on medium-high heat until crisp, then set aside, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon zest, and saute until fragrant. Add the collard greens and cook until they begin to wilt. Add the chicken stock and 1/2 cup water and cover, lowering the heat to a simmer. Let cook until the greens are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover, add back the bacon, raise the heat to medium-high, and reduce the liquid by one-quarter, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
RED LENTILS
Ingredients
1 cup Red Lentils
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 c red wine
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
heat oil in pan; add lentils and toss to coat, about one minute. Add broth, wine and seasoning. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat until tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes.
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