I have to warn you, these are not the simmered all day with smoked meat collard greens.  These are pretty quick.  Just boiled to tenderize, then saute in a flavorful mix of bacon drippings, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Finish with a sprinkling of Parmesan and you’ve got a pretty tasty side dish that didn’t take all day!

Working with such a simple recipe, I though that I would finally commit to something I’d previously neglected; adding featured videos to ShawnsPlate.com.  With my 16 year old daughter trusty intern and point & shoot camera state of the art equipment, I set out to make such a video.  The results? Meh! But guess what?!  I decided to share it away.  ‘Cause y’all need to see “what not to do”!

To “pick” greens, start by removing the center stem.

Stack leaves and roll tightly.

Cut the roll into 1/4-inch slices.

Sauteed Collard Greens

1 bunch collard greens, I used a small bunch with about 10 stems
2 strips of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 quarts/8 cups of water in a large saucepan with 1 teaspoon of salt until boiling.  Prepare greens by rinsing and removing center stems.  Stack leaves and roll up, cutting into 1/4-inch strips.  Rinse again before adding to pot of salted boiling water.  Allow greens to cook for 20 minutes. Remove greens from water and allow to drain.

In a heavy skillet on medium-high heat, fry bacon until brown and crispy.  Remove bacon from skillet, reserving drippings.  Add olive oil, chopped garlic, and red pepper flake oil to skillet, stirring for about 30 seconds, until garlic begins to soften but not brown.  Add drained greens to skillet and saute until they are coated with the oil mixture and heated through.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.