Growing up a New Englander, I never had anything like Southern food till I came
down to Virginia for school and then to DC for my job and as a place to live. Though I do want to sheepishly point out that I get some southern cred here because I was born in the South. Baton Rouge, Louisiana in fact. I lived there for about a year while my Dad was in grad school at LSU, before heading up to Worcester to grow up.
While being a resident of the mid-Atlantic area, I have also made several
trips down to Charleston, New Orleans, and Savannah, and have sampled
all kinds of Southern cuisine. What I came to love most were the side dishes - mac and cheese, collards, okra, green beans, etc. In fact, I honestly could skip the fried meat as a main and order a plate of sides at most places. Not that I am vegetarian or anything (the veggie sides in the South contain plenty of pork regardless), but I love the slow cooked flavor of low country cooking and that really comes through in the sides. Legumes, iron-rich leafy vegetables, tough inexpensive cuts of meat - all of them have tons of flavor, but take some time to cook. That's fine by me, the setup and prep is pretty straightforward and you just have to check on them once in a while they cook. No other work necessary. Plus it waits for you, these sides can be kept at room temperature - just warm through before serving.
For our Southern dinner, it had to be my two favorites: black-eyed peas and collard greens. For the peas, it really makes a big difference if you start with dried beans. Canned is fine, but if you have the time, start with dried beans. You just need to soak them overnight and then boil them for a bit the next day. It's not hard, just takes a little time. You then saute some kielbasa or bacon in a large dutch oven with some aromatics, add the cook peas and a little seasoning, and you are good to go.
I used organic collard greens here because I feel better when I use organic vegetables. But use whatever you can find. And the key to the collard greens, for me, is the acidity of red wine or cider vinegar. I find that my taste buds are normally completely overwhelmed by very vinegary items like pickles or salt and vinegar potato chips, but here in the greens, the acidity mellows while it cooks and serves as a great counterpoint to the earthy richness of the greens. All greens are cooked with some kind of ham product as well. Traditionally, based on my research, it's smoked ham hocks. I couldn't find them at my local store so instead I used a smoked ham steak that I diced into cubes. It worked great. You could also use good quality deli ham as well, sliced thickly. Or you could skip the ham and go the meatless route, but I feel then you lose some of that traditional flavor.
The one thing I did try to lose was some of the heaviness or greasiness of the sides I have found at some Southern restaurants. I think these restaurants use fat and salt to mask poor quality ingredients. The recipes below are still packed with lots of flavor but taste lighter and fresh. And, these sides only get better the more they sit - so they are perfect for making ahead and keeping in the fridge. Just reheat them before your dinner. Enjoy!
Black-eyed peas
Ingredients
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 lb. pork kielbasa, casings removed if you can
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Directions
1. Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl. Drain the beans and add to a large saucepan. Add water to cover the beans by about an inch. Throw in the bay leaves. Bring the pan to a boil, lower to a simmer and partially cover. Cook the beans for about 20-30 minutes, they will still be on the firmer side. Drain and rinse the beans, keep the bay leaves.
2. Heat a 5-7 quart dutch oven over medium heat for several minutes. Add the butter and the oil. When butter has melted, crumble in the pork kielbasa. If you can't remove the skins, dice the whole kielbasa into small cubes. Brown and render the fat out of the sausage for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the kielbasa.
3. Add the diced onion, diced pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, and sugar. Saute and sweat out the veggies for about 8-10 minutes. Add the kielbasa and drained beans to the pan now.
4. Add the chicken stock so that it barely comes up to the top of the bean mixture. Bring to a boil and then partially cover and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the beans are very tender but not mushy. Let cool slightly before serving.
Collard greens
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped smoked ham
3-4 cups chicken stock
3 teaspoons red wine (or cider) vinegar
5 bunches of organic collards (about 2 pounds total) or two 16oz bags chopped collards
1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
1. Wash and de-stem each collard leaf. Stack all the leaves on top of each other and cut them crosswise into 1 inch strips.
2. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion
and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute
or two.
3. Add the diced ham and/or ham hocks if you have them. Saute for several minutes with the vegetables and fat in the pan. Add the collards, tamping
down with a wooden spoon to get all of the greens in the pot. Season with one teaspoon of salt and several grinds of fresh pepper.
4. After the greens have wilted, add the stock and the vinegar. You want there to be enough stock or liquid to just barely cover the greens. Bring to a boil and then partially cover and
simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. When the greens are really tender and their greenness has dulled to a browner shade, they are done. Make sure to taste for seasoning. Add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt if it needs it and several grinds of fresh black pepper.
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