For a while now I'd been meaning to try a Crescent Dragonwagon recipe from Bean by Bean. It sounded fairly improbable, but she raved about it so enthusiastically that I thought I'd give it a whirl. She calls it couve a mineira, and she says that in Brazil it is served alongside feijoada.
This is the improbable part: her version is mostly made of raw collard greens. The internet will tell you to saute them lightly, but not Crescent Dragonwagon.
Fifteen years ago I thought the idea of eating raw kale on purpose sounded preposterous. I also thought that massaging raw kale in order to render it edible was ridiculous. But what do you know, these days I eat kale salads regularly and sometimes even make them myself. So I was open to the idea that it might be possible to skip the long cooking time I used to think was required for leafy green consumption.
Her recipe is simplicity itself. Stem your collard greens, roll them up like a fat cigar, and use a sharp knife to cut them in fine fine fine ribbons. Dress with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt/pepper.
We had CSA collards in the fridge and tonight they met their destiny. I swapped in a lime because we were out of lemons, and I added some additional olive oil to ensure that the collards were thoroughly dressed. They were so yummy: fresh and zippy and easy to eat. Definitely recommended.
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