Vegetarian Collard Greens

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Being from the South, I grew up eating collards and other greens.  My granddad would bring home garbage bags full of fresh picked greens from the farm, and spend hours cleaning and cutting.  There were a few times he recruited me for the process.  We filled one sink with water and submerged  several bunches of greens, and then we filled another sink and transferred them.  Then we drained the first sink and continued to repeat the process until it looked like we were in a field of collards.  It wasn't until I was older that he let me help cut and cook the greens.  The huge stock pot always started with a hunk of salty fat back which was fried like bacon, and then came the greens.  I am still not sure what seasonings he added, but whatever they were, the greens had a lot of flavor.  I made this vegetarian version for a friend of mine when she came for dinner.  Who says bacon makes everything taste better?

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb. washed and cut collard greens (I buy the already washed collards)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 cups of vegetable broth

2 teaspoons savory

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add chopped onions.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until they begin to soften.  Stir frequently to prevent burning.  Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds or until they are aromatic. 
2. Add collards to the pot.  (The pot will be very full, but they cook down.)  Add savory, salt, and pepper.  Then, add vegetable broth.
3. Using tongs, toss the greens around to rotate.  Cover with a lid for about 2 minutes.
4. Toss again, reduce heat to medium-low and cover.  Stir occasionally for about 45 minutes or until the greens are tender.
5. Serve with a splash of cider vinegar if desired.  

Notes:

• The bag of prepped collards still has stems in them.  If you don't like the stems, make sure to remove them prior to cooking. (I actually kind of liked some stems.  I wasn't able to get them all out prior to cooking)
• Savory can be purchased in the spice isle, but in the ground up form.  If using the ground form, then use about a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half.  I used the whole form (which leaves the feeling of leaves and twigs in your mouth).  
• Interesting fact about Savory: In WWII Germany, Savory was used as a seasoning during a pepper shortage.  

Picture from: http://hilahcooking.com/how-to-cook-collard-greens/