Braised Collards in Tomato-onion Gravy
Traditional Southern collards are cooked with fatback, ham hock, or bacon grease. There’s a lot of flavor in that fat, so when you eliminate it, you need to bump up the flavor elsewhere. Charring the tomatoes before adding them to the gravy is a great way to add a smoky, umami-rich note without adding fat or calories.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe, medium Roma tomatoes, cored
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 16 cups chopped collard greens (1 lb.)
Instructions
- Heat a medium skillet over high heat.
- Add the cored tomatoes and cook until they are charred on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
- Let the skillet cool slightly by taking it off the heat or decreasing the heat, depending on how smoking-hot your skillet is.
- Have the heat at low and add the oil (the skillet will still hold a great deal of heat).
- Add the onion and garlic, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until both are a deep golden-brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let them cool slightly. Transfer to the food processor bowl containing the reserved charred tomato, and process until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chopped collards and cook until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
