BRAVERY TEST

[kc5tpy]

Well now.  Some of you have been brave enough to try some of my Southern recipes.  You have tried the cornbread and a few folks think it’s pretty good.  Now the bravery test.  How adventurous are you?  Here is another southern favourite that goes well with smoked meat.

3 days before serving, in a glass bowl;  add sliced chillies ( be brave, go for it ) and cover with white vinegar.  Cover and place in the fridge.

1 bunch of spring greens ( these greens are a bit bitter but trust me here )  Can also use kale.  Cut out the tough centre stalk

1 bag of spring greens

6-8 slices of smoked streaky bacon ( you need the fat )  or 8- 10 slices if you want to go "whole hog".

1 cloved garlic minced

½ medium onion chopped

¾ teaspoon salt.

FRY BACON UNTIL ALMOST COOKED.  REDUCE HEAT.  ADD ONION AND SAUTE UNTIL ONION IS ALMOST CLEAR.  ADD GARLIC.  CONTINUE TO SAUTE UNTIL ONIONS ARE CLEAR.  ADD GREENS.  ADD WATER TO COVER GREENS ABOUT 1 INCH.  BRING TO BOIL.  STIR WELL.  COVER AND COOK ON MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL GREENS ARE TENDER.  DRAIN THE GREENS WHEN DONE AND ADD THE CHILI VINEGAR TO TASTE ( I USUALLY LET EACH PERSON ADD THEIR OWN VINEGAR ).

 

The slight bitterness of the greens and the vinegar offset the richness of the fat in the meat you are smoking. 

Thanks for having a read.  I hope someone will be brave enough to try.  Is an acquired taste but works well with smoked meat.

I am gonna give you a few more recipes.  Many are Tex-Mex.  Some are smoked and some are side dishes.  Some I am still working on.  The main problem is sourcing ingredients here.  I hope someone will be brave enough to try this one.  As stated, the greens are a bit bitter but it seems to work with smoked meat.

Thanks for looking.  I know I need to post pics.  I will be doing that soon.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

 

[andybigwood]

Always interested to try something new Danny -

I've had bacon cooked with greens before which tastes good, so the additiion of the chilli vinegar intrigues me.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[kc5tpy]

Hello Andy.  There are many folks back in the States ( especially in the southern States ) who are reading this and saying " Yeah; AND????.  They just don't know that this type of thing is pretty new here.  Poor folks back in the States have been eating mustard greens, collard greens and polk salad cooked this way for years.  Of course back in the day they used fatback.

The bitterness of the greens and the vinegar work well with the fatty cuts of meat available to the poor folks.  Try these with a pork belly joint and a big slice of cornbread slathered in butter ( not margarine, must be real butter ).  Slathered is a southern technical cooking term which means as much butter as you dare.  

These are just simple recipes.  I am just trying to give you folks a taste of food you would get in the southern States.  Much of this also qualifies as "soul food".  Some of these things are an aquired taste but I hope you might give it a try.  I have one recipe I hope Foamheart will help me with; it is "okra gumbo".  Not a real gumbo but that is what it is called round where I am from.  You know okra as lady fingers.  Not easily found in small towns but I am sure you all can locate it.  Another version is made with courgettes, this is more of a mexican version.  Many of these recipes have streaky bacon as a main seasoning.  Using your own bacon would be a great addition.  Many of these recipes don't require smoking but I want the British folks to experience them.  I think the forum can stretch to allow me to share these with you.  We still have chicken fried steak to try.

Once I get through my small number of southern recipes I can start on Tex-Mex.  I WILL try to start taking pictures.

Thanks for looking.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

 

[andybigwood]

I remembered Elvis singing about Polk salad Annie, so you have to share what that is sooner rather than later

Mustard is an interesting one, because I grew up with English and French mustard -

the English mustard being the one that burns your nostrils,  which I love, used sparingly, on beef or ham, and it is only more recently that I've started using American mustard, which is much milder than I'm accustomed to, so mustard greens sound interesting also.

 

[jockaneezer]

Will give that recipe a try as I'm a fan of spring greens and kale. Tried another local restaurant at the weekend that had pulled pork and smoked brisket, just as I'd expected, the brisket was oven cooked with a smokey sauce slathered on, very mediocre. On a lighter note, I had some deep fried chillis as a side, boy were they hot, I started hiccuping that turned into full body convulsions, got some strange looks from the other diners and I never heard anyone say "I'll have what he's having "!

 

[kc5tpy]

Hello.  Sorry that restaurant turned out to be as the others.

These bitter greens and the chili vinegar cut the fat of some smoked meat.  I MUST start posting more pictures.  Thanks for looking.  Keep Smokin!

Danny