Washing and Cutting Collard Greens

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

AUTHORS MATT AND TED LEE ON WASHING AND CUTTING COLLARD GREENS:

"On each plant, . . . grouping of leaves that rise from a central trunk, chop off the stems where they meet the leaf and discard them. . . . we recommend washing each leaf by rubbing it briefly between your hands under a stream of cold water.

"We find collards more manageable to cook, and to cook more evenly, if you cut the ribs -- the tough extension of the stem that rises up the center of each leaf -- from the leaves and discard them. We slice the rib from each leaf on a cutting board with a small paring knife, which leaves us with 2 half-leaves, roughly mirror images of each other. As we remove the ribs, we stack these halves on top of one another into piles a few inches high. Then we take a large chef's knife and cut the leaves crosswise, on the bias, into strips about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.

"Alternately, you could tear the leaves from the ribs with your hands as you wash them, but be sure to tear each leaf into strips. The larger the pieces, the more unwieldy they are to handle when it comes time to add them to the pot."