Jeff Kotzen’s Collard Greens with Crispy Bacon

With its sweet and smoky flavors, our own Jeff Kotzen’s recipe for Collard Greens with Crispy Bacon is A-MAZING. Serve it as a side dish or eat the entire thing as a meal. Whatever you choose, just be sure to make it. 

Ingredients

• 1 bunch leaves of collard greens, torn from stalks and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon Cabot butter
• 1/3 package Savenor’s Hardwood Smoked Bacon
• 1 onion, diced  
• 1-2 shallots, sliced 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 tablespoons fig jam, or other fruit jam
• 1.5 cups chicken, veggie or beef stock
• Dash of red wine
• Dash of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon O-Med extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a pan until crispy. Then, remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside. One it cools, chop the bacon into medium sized pieces.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same pan on medium-heat and saute onions, shallots and garlic until lightly browned. 
3. Add balsamic vinegar, red wine, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes more, allowing everything to soften and brown some more.
4. Add olive oil and leaves of collard greens to the pan.
5. Cover with stock and cover and for 10 minutes.
6. Uncover the pan, to allow the liquid to reduce, and stir fig jam into the pan. 
7. The collard greens are ready when the greens are tender and the liquid has formed a sauce. 
8. Finish with crispy, chopped bacon on top.