Collard Green Laulau

This recipe is a simple twist on "Fast and Easy Chicken Laulau." Wash collard greens and remove the stems from them. You'll end up with crescent shapes of various sizes. Layer these crescents to form an "X" shape. Place one chicken thigh in the middle of the X. Season on both sides with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of liquid smoke. Bundle up the chicken in the collard leaves. Wrap bundle tightly in aluminum foil. Place in a loaf pan (if you're making one or two of these bundles), cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil, and bake in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. Serve over white rice.

Collard Greens

The last time I had collard greens was in 2009, when I was in Austin, Texas with Willie at Lambert's Downtown Barbecue. Before that, the last time I had 'em was in 1993 in NYC. I never thought about cooking collard greens until they arrived in the CSA box this week. I trust Paula Deen for a good recipe, and here it is:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb smoked meat (ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones)

1 tbsp House seasoning, recipe follows

1 tbsp seasoned salt

1 tbsp hot red pepper sauce

1 large bunch collard greens

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, house seasoning, seasoned salt and hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hours.

Wash the collard greens thoroughly. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don't need to be stripped. Stack 6-8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-inch thick slices. Place greens in pot with meat and add butter. Cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve with favorite dish as a side.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt; 1/4 cup black pepper; 1/4 cup garlic salt. Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.