Recipe: Sneaky Collards with Pepper Vinegar (food processor)

SNEAKY COLLARDS

FOR THE PEPPER VINEGAR:
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 Thai, Serrano or bird's eye chiles, fresh or dried
For the collards:
8 cups water
3 dried chiles (or 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 3/4 pounds collard greens (about 72 leaves or 3 bunches), ribbed, washed, and cut into 1-inch-wide strips
FOR THE VEGETABLE PUREE:
1 large onion, trimmed, peeled and quartered
1 large tomato, cored and quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (or Hungarian paprika)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled

AT LEAST 24 HOURS AHEAD, MAKE THE PEPPER VINEGAR:
With a funnel, pour vinegar into a cruet. Add chiles and use a chopstick or handle of a wooden spoon to submerge them, if necessary. Cap cruet and refrigerate. The vinegar will be well infused in 24 hours and will keep for months in the refrigerator.

TO PREPARE THE COLLARDS:
In 8-quart stockpot, bring water to a boil over high heat. Add chiles and 1 tablespoon salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until stock has a nice salty spiciness, about 10 minutes.

Add a few handfuls of greens to the pot. They will float on the surface, so stir them frequently, submerging with the spoon, until they have turned a bright Kelly green, 3 to 5 minutes. They will become floppy and more compact, so you can add more handfuls of greens. Continue adding greens, stirring and submerging them until all the collards are in the pot (6 to 10 minutes). Turn heat down to the gentlest simmer, and note your time at this point.

TO MAKE THE VEGETABLE PUREE:
While greens simmer, place onion and tomato in a small bowl. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over them, add 1 teaspoon salt, paprika and pepper, and toss to coat.

Transfer the onion-tomato mixture to a medium cast-iron skillet and add the garlic. Place skillet under a hot broiler, about 3 inches from the flame or heating element, until vegetables are nicely charred, 6 to 8 minutes. Set them on the stove top to cool.

When garlic is cool enough to touch, peel cloves and return them to the skillet, discarding the charred skins. Transfer broiled onion, tomato and garlic to a blender or food processor and blend at high speed until the mixture is completely smooth, about 3 minutes. You should have close to 1 1/2 cups of puree.

TO FINISH COOKING THE COLLARDS:
With a ladle, remove 6 cups stock from the collards pot and discard or save for soup. Add the puree to the collards in the pot and continue to simmer greens for a total of 1 hour from the point at which you noted the time. The greens will be a very dark matte green and completely tender, bathed in pale red gravy.

TO SERVE:
Transfer servings to plates with a slotted spoon, and pass the cruet of pepper vinegar at the table.

Makes 6 servings
Source: The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-be Southerners by Matt Lee and Ted Lee

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