Instant Pot Cookin’: A fresh taste on a Southern dish

By Nanci Dixon
I just plain love my Instant Pot™! I love collard greens too. If you haven’t had collard greens before, this is a flavorful, easy way to try them. Collard greens are part of the kale and broccoli family and, just like kale, contain mega-amounts of vitamin K. In fact, one serving contains 388% of the daily value of Vitamin K! Collards are also loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, calcium and vitamin B6. And the best part is, they taste good!

Before the Instant Pot, cleaning and cooking greens was a long, time-consuming process. The Instant Pot takes the two to three hours of boiling time down to a mere 19 minutes! I have eliminated the traditional ham hock in the recipe to cut cooking time, fat, and calories, substituting with any kind of smoked polish, sausage, or brats I have on hand. I have tried without meat and they just don’t have the richness of flavor that meat adds, particularly if the meat is smoked.

Ingredients

• 2-3 bunches of fresh collard greens (2 bunches if the leaves and bunches are big, 3 bunches if small)
• 2 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil)
• 1/2 lb bulk sausage, smoked turkey, pulled chicken or 4 fully-cooked polish, smoked sausage, brats sliced (I used turkey Italian sausage out of the casing). Add as much or as little meat as you like. It is for flavoring – the real star is the greens.
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 scant tsp red pepper flakes

Cleaning and cutting the collards

The most time-consuming part of the process is cleaning and cutting the collard greens.

First, rinse well, shake off the leaves. Fold the leaf. Pull on the stem and tear out. Some people keep the stem in but I find the stems are too tough and don’t cook at the same time as the leaves.

Next is simply taking a bunch of the stemless leaves and cutting across the width and depth. Try and cut it into large two to three inch squares. No need to be precise.

Directions

1.) Clean and cut collard greens according to above instructions, set aside
2.) Add oil to instant pot and set to sauté
3.) Add chopped onions and meat. Sauté until onions are soft and meat browning

4.) Add garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes

5.) Add greens to Instant Pot, push down in pot if needed

6.) Mix chicken broth with red pepper flakes and vinegar
7.) Pour over greens, stir slightly
8.) Set Instant Pot to manual/high for 19 minutes
9.) Quick-release when done

Serve with cornbread to soak up the liquids for a fresh taste on a traditional southern dish.

##RVT968