As a northerner, I never got to experience the wonders of fried turnip greens very much. We visited North Carolina this summer on a family vacation. We went to The Outerbanks. I had fried greens at a restaurant and boy were they ever flavorful!
Check out what my pals over at Deep Southern Dish had to say about bacon grease:
Turnip greens, like mustard greens and kale, tend to be more bitter to my taste-buds than collards, so I prefer using salt pork for seasoning those, which seems to help cut that. You’ll generally find salt pork somewhere in the meat case near the bacon, in 12 ounce blocks. I like to split it up into 2 ounce portions for freezing, and I trim away the rind if it’s not already a trimmed piece. Salt pork can be used in most places where you might use bacon for seasonings – greens, cabbage, Southern peas, soups and stews, and all sorts of beans – though bacon does add in a smokiness that you won’t get from the salt pork.
I always thought bacon grease was one of the most fattening things in the world! I suppose in moderation it carries a lot less calories than some other oils, like olive. Plus, it tastes amazing, so there’s that.
Ingredients
1 large bunch of turnip greens or a 1-pound package of prewashed and chopped
2 ounces of salt pork, cubed
2 quarts of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of beef base or bouillon
1 tablespoon of bacon fat or butter
Splash of apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pickled onions, optional
Hot pepper vinegar sauce, for the table
Hot sauce, for the table
Instructions
Clean the greens by breaking off large stems. Rinse well in clean water, several times to remove any grit or sand. Chop into small pieces, rinse again and drain well in a colander; set aside. Rinse the salt pork and cube. Add the water, salt pork, salt, sugar, beef base, bacon fat or butter and vinegar to a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the greens, return to a boil, reduce to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hours, depending on texture and tenderness desired; stir occasionally. Taste, season with salt and pepper. Serve with cornbread and pass pickled onions, hot pepper vinegar sauce and hot sauce at the table.
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Quick Tip: May also be used for collards and mustard greens, or a mixture of any of the three.
Thank you to Deep South Dish for this great recipe.
