Collard Greens with Chorizo

When I saw the collard greens in my box I knew that I would have to consult with my friend, Aeron. Aeron is an amazing cook, an avid gardener, and she's from the South. This woman knows how to cook greens. So, I sent her a text message and asked her how to cook greens. She responded, "Braise them with onions (and pork fat if southern style) or chicken broth. They can cook for hours."

I did a quick inventory of what I had on hand. I had chicken broth, spring onions, and no bacon. But, I did have some chorizo leftover from a paella I made the night before. Chorizo! Ah, yes, of course. Why hadn't I thought of this before? Chorizo has a rich pork flavor and a nice hot spiciness that would be perfect for greens.

I took the casing off the chorizo, chopped it, and cooked the pan until the pan was coated in all that nice chorizoness. By the way, I did see some soy chorizo at Trader Joe's the other day. So, if you want to make this a vegetarian dish I think you could use the soy chorizo. If the soy chorizo doesn't add enough grease to the pan I think you could add a bit of olive oil.

I added the rest of the ingredients and let the flavors join together. As I stood at the stove, I realized that I probably am not the first to think of putting chorizo with greens. But, I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before!

I let the whole thing cook for an hour. I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to taste this. It was good! I highly recommend that you try this recipe. It is spicy, meaty, and full of vitamins. This would be a good dish to make for someone who doesn't think that they like greens.

Collard Greens with Chorizo

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 chorizo sausage (or 1 soy chorizo)

1 head of collard greens, stems separated from leaves

1 spring onion (or yellow onion), chopped

1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Take the casing off the chorizo and chop it. Add chorizo to the pan and brown it. Take the chorizo out of the pan and reserve in a bowl for later. Add the onion and cook it in the olive oil and chorizo fat until it is soft. Add the greens and coat with the oil mixture. Sprinkle the greens with salt. Add the chicken stock and make sure that the greens are mostly covered in liquid. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the greens for at least an hour. They can cook for hours. Add chorizo back into the pan, sprinkle with salt, and serve.