PAT You won’t find a collard green—or a green of any kind, for that matter—that Gina hasn’t mastered and found a dozen ways to cook. She’s queen of the twists on greens. The idea for this particular twist came from stuffed cabbage with a vinegary red sauce—but we think this is even better than that recipe. Don’t you?
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
SAUCE
DIRTY-RICE FILLING
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2
To start the sauce: Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, apple-cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and let simmer for 15 minutes, so all the flavors can build.
Step 3
Set a large pot of water to boil. Lay each collard leaf out on your work surface, and remove the tough large stem and center vein. Don’t cut the whole leaf in half; just cut out the toughest part of the stem in a V-shape. Once the water is boiling, slip the collard leaves in and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain into a colander, and rinse with cold water to help stop the cooking.
Step 4
While the sauce is simmering, begin the dirty-rice filling: Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once the sausage is browned, add the onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the chicken broth, cayenne, cooked rice, and parsley, mixing thoroughly and letting the broth reduce until there is no moisture left in the pan. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
Step 5
Lay out each cooked collard leaf and put 1/4 cup of the dirty rice in the center. Fold both the sides into the center, and the top and bottom over the center. Roll up into a cylinder—tightly, like a cigar or a small burrito. If there happen to be any remaining leaves, you can chop them up and add to the sauce.
Step 6
Pour a 1/2-inch layer of the sauce into a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish. Arrange the collard rolls, seam sides down, on top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed collards, and cover the pan with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, and serve.
