Tuesday, March 06, 2018

Slivered Collards with Brown-Butter Pepperoncini Vinaigrette and Toasted Breadcrumbs

I got the idea of making a raw collard salad, like the kindof kale we all know and love, from the “Shaved Collard Greens with Cashews and Pickled Peppers” recipe in the the exciting, inspiring book Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, which I have now had to return to the library (sigh). 
I am also reading this book, and it is so, so deliciously good.
The collards are a little smoother than kale, a little silkier and stronger tasting, both sweeter and more bitter both, if that makes sense. The pepperoncini is in his recipe; the brown butter is all me. And boy is this a delicious late-winter dish: spicy and zippy, but rich; green tasting, but also deeply brown tasting; leafy and crunchy and well-loved by everyone. You could, of course, make it with kale if you prefer. I haven’t, but I am completely confident it would be great.
Is this a good place to tell you I have a new column up over at Motherwell?
Slivered Collards with Brown-Butter Pepperoncini Vinaigrette and Toasted Breadcrumbs
I have made this salad a number of times, and sometimes I have put grated parmesan in it. You can do that, but I actually think that the flavors are cleaner without the funk of cheese. Although maybe something is wrong with me, since I have never thought that anything ever would be better without cheese, and I am suffering from dementia, and you should ignore my advice. I am mentioning that the collards would ideally be room-temperature because the dressing is butter-based, and it will have a slight inclination to congeal on cold greens in a cold bowl. Starting with everything a little warmer than cold is ideal. (What if you put raisins in the dressing? Mightn’t that be good, in an agrodolce kind of way? I am just thinking out loud here.)

1 bunch clean, room-temperature collard greens (or kale)

For the crumbs:
¼ cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the dressing:
½ stick salted butter
½ cup pepperoncini rings
¼ cup liquid from the pepperoncini jar

Prepare the collards: Strip the leaves from their stems by holding the stem in one hand and hand-jobbing the leaf off with your other hand, if you know what I’m saying. Save the stems to make this. Chiffonade the leaves: stack them, roll them up tight, and sliver them across into fine ribbons. You should have around 5 cups of slivered collards—more or less is fine, just adjust the dressing accordingly—and you should put them in a large salad bowl.

Toast the crumbs: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat, then add the crumbs and salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until the crumbs are crisp and golden, around 5 minutes. Scrape the crumbs into a bowl so they can cool without burning.

Make the dressing: Melt the butter in the crumb pan over medium heat, then continue cooking it, swirling the pan constantly, until the butter gets golden-brown and smells nutty and insane, another 3 or 4 minutes. It will foam up at some point, and then the foaming will subside, which is around the time you will notice that it’s just about done. Immediately dump in the pepperoncini and their liquid, and cook for a minute or two, swirling the pan, until the liquid is a little bit reduced.

Pour the hot dressing over the collards and toss well. If you like, you can use your hands to massage the kale, which will soften and excite it, but you’ve already given it the hand-job treatment, so this added sexual favor is totally up to you. Taste for salt (it may not need any), then top with bread crumbs, and serve immediately. 





The prize for reading to the end! This newly minted fifteen-year-old. What the?

14 comments:

  1. alison1:08 PM

    You are SOOOO FUNNY! <3

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  2. So crazy. I started reading your blog when I was pregnant with my now (almost) 15 year old. Still funny, still great recipes (no-knead bread is my favorite) and great book and game recommendations. Thank you for still being here for us “senior mamas”. Where has the time gone, seriously!?!? 💕💕

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  3. Allyson4:21 AM

    Only you could make a collard salad recipe into soft core pornography, which is one of the many reasons why I love you!
    You and I were pregnant "together" in the Baby Center days, and my Jake just turned 15 last month and is now half a foot taller than me. I have absolutely no idea what happened.

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    Replies
    1. Kristin4:51 PM

      I was about to write a slightly different version of this exact comment. Except my "baby" is 14 and is only a few inches taller than me so far. But the soft core recipe comment exactly as in my head!

      Delete
    2. Allyson7:22 PM

      Great and dirty minds think alike!

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  4. Fifteen! WHAT. I started reading you at BabyCenter when I was pregnant with my now 13-1/2 year old. My younger is now 11-1/2. Waiting for Birdy is one of my all-time favorite books but is so infused with nostalgia & love for me that I fear I will never be able to re-read it; I am already finding the fact that my children are pre/adolescents so shocking & heartbreaking (I mean, they're great & all, but the fact that they keep growing up means they are going to LEAVE ME) that to open that book again would probably lead to hours of reading & crying. Sorry for the tangent. Happy Birthday, Birdy!!

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. Is that a tiny cactus candle?! So cute!

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  7. I clearly remember reading the "The Birdy Has Landed" post. How could that have been 15 years ago? I would tell you that I remember her full given name but that would sound way too stalkerish instead of the fact that I just have a weirdly good memory.

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    Replies
    1. Haha, it’s not just you. I remember too!!

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    2. Allyson8:58 PM

      Abigail Shirley, right? Yeah, it's not just you.

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  8. Happy Birthday, Birdy!!! 🎈

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  9. It is hard to think on such great topics, it needs more knowledge and skills too. Thanks for sharing.
    Yepi
    Friv 2
    Friv 4

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  10. Hi Catherine! Have you looked at Run Fast, Eat Slow? I think you'd really like the recipes - http://www.runfasteatslow.com/ Happy 15th to Birdy!

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