Wilted Greens With Bacon Recipes

WILTED GREENS

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with cold water. Trim and discard the greens tough stems, tear the leaves into pieces and wash them in the water. (If the greens are very dirty wash them in several changes of water.) Lift the greens from the water, and put them in a colander to drain. Set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and its fat has rendered, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the greens in batches, starting with the tougher greens, like kale, and ending with the more tender ones, like chard, stirring each batch as they wilt, before adding more. Add 1/2 cup water and cook, covered, stirring once or twice, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

WILTED GREENS WITH BACON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Place romaine in a serving bowl. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble over greens. To the pan, add sugar and vinegar, and simmer until sugar is dissolved, scraping up bacon bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour hot dressing over greens and toss. Serve immediately.

BACON-WILTED GREENS WITH WARM PECAN-CRUSTED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Line a plate with paper towels. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat and set aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate. Pour off all but a film of the grease on the bottom of the pan. (Just eyeball it instead of trying to measure, but it should be just about 1/2 teaspoon; discard the remaining grease.)
• To make the salad, return the skillet to low heat. Add the onion and the diced apple. Season with salt and pepper. Add the kale; cook until the kale begins to wilt, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar; cover, and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to broil. Place the finely chopped pecans in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Roll the goat cheese log in the pecans to evenly coat. Refrigerate until firm if necessary, then cut evenly into 6 rounds and place each round of cheese on the sliced apple. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
• To serve, divide the kale salad among the plates. Top with an apple-cheese round and garnish with the reserved bacon. Serve immediately.

SOUTHERN-BRAISED GREENS WITH BACON

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot cook the bacon until it has rendered most of its fat, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper and cook until the onions are wilted, about 4 minutes. Add 1 quart of water, the beer, vinegar, and molasses and bring to a boil. Begin adding the greens in batches, pressing down with a wooden spoon to submerge them in the hot liquid and adding more as they wilt. When all of the greens have been added, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the greens, partially covered and stirring occasionally, for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

WILTED GREENS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Trim and chop 2 bunches dandelion greens, watercress or baby kale. Cook 3 slices chopped bacon until crisp; transfer to paper towels using a slotted spoon. Add 1 each sliced garlic clove and shallot to the drippings; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon sugar; stir until dissolved. Add the greens in batches, tossing to wilt. Season with salt and pepper; top with the bacon.

WILTED GREENS WITH BACON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Place romaine in a serving bowl.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy.
• Remove bacon and crumble over greens.
• To the pan, add sugar and vinegar, and simmer until sugar is dissolved, scraping up bacon bits that cling to the bottom of the pan.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Pour hot dressing over greens and toss.
• Serve immediately.

WILTED COLLARDS GREENS WITH BACON AND ONION

Steps:

• Turn an eye on the stove to medium heat.
• In a large sauté pan or stock pot, cook the chopped bacon for a few minutes until some grease is rendered, then, toss in the onion. Cook this until onion becomes tender. DO NOT DRAIN!
• Next, throw the collard greens into the bacon and onion and carefully stir a little (it will seem like there are too many collard greens, but they cook down very quickly).
• Pour in the chicken stock and the water.
• Add the optional seasonings (pepper, seasoning salt and vinegar).
• Cover the pan and cook on medium to medium high. You will see the collards begin to wilt rather quickly.
• Continue cooking until all of the liquid is gone, stirring occasionally. (This normally takes me about 20 minutes.).
• Try the collards and if they are not as tender as you would like, simply add 1/4 cup of water at a time until they reach the desired tenderness.

WILTED MUSTARD GREENS SALAD WITH BACON

Steps:

• Wash the mustard greens, spin them dry, and put them in a large heatproof bowl. In a skillet heat the oil with the mustard seeds, covered partially to keep the seeds from popping out, over moderate heat for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the popping subsides, add the onion, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the vinegar, and bring the mixture to a boil. Drizzle the dressing immediately over the mustard greens and toss the salad. Add the bacon and salt and pepper to taste and toss the salad well.

PASTA WITH WILTED GREENS, BACON AND FRIED EGG

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's just al dente. (It should still have quite a bite to it; you'll finish cooking it in the skillet.) Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it has rendered all its fat and the pieces are crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate or bowl, leaving the fat behind in the skillet; set bacon aside.
• Return the skillet with the bacon fat to medium-high heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Fry the eggs, using a spoon to encourage the bacon fat to come up around the whites and cause them to puff slightly. Cook the eggs until the whites are just set and crisped around the edges and the yolk is still bright yellow and runny, about 3 minutes.
• Using a spatula, transfer eggs to another paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat behind; set eggs aside.
• Return the skillet with the bacon fat to medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it's softened and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add kale by the handful, letting it wilt between additions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the kale is totally wilted and softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water to the skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Season with salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper. Continue to cook at medium heat, tossing the pasta occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about half, about 2 minutes.
• Add remaining 1/2 cup pasta water and continue to cook, tossing to encourage the starches to release, until you've got a thick, glossy sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes. (The pasta should also be completely tender at this point.) Add 1/4 cup grated cheese and more freshly ground pepper; toss to coat.
• Divide pasta among bowls and crumble crispy bacon over. Top with additional cheese and a fried egg. Make sure to break the yolk before eating.