Dried Collard Strips

Cut Purple Tree Collards into ¾ inch strips and crumple them up a bit. 
1.  Soak for a few minutes in ½ tamari sauce and ½ water with some toasted  sesame seeds. (Toast  sesame seeds by slowly cooking over low to medium heat in a heavy skillet.) Dehydrate at 125 degrees until crispy. Or:
2.  Toss in olive oil, and add salt and pepper. Roast in 350 oven for 10-15 minutes turning often.

Greasy Greens

1. De-stem the kale leaves.
2. Boil them in salt water for 1 minute.
3. Drain, chop and put in a pan with half olive oil, half butter, onions, garlic and mushrooms. 
4. Sauté until all limp and greasy.
5. Add salt & pepper to taste (sometimes with chile flakes).

Kristan's Famous Purple Tree Collards

​1. In a skillet, sauté a diced onion in olive oil until golden brown. Salt.
2. Wash leaves but don't dry them..
3.  Rib leaves (feed ribs to worms or chickens afterwards).
4.  Chop leaves in thin (1/8-inch) strips.
5.  Add several cloves of chopped garlic to skillet. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6.  Add greens.
7.  Stir.
8.  Add a large splash of chicken (or vegetable) broth or water.
9.  Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Add extra water if it's drying out.
10.  Take the cover off. Cook off any excess moisture.
11. Put in a bowl and add a few splashes of vinegar or lemon juice.

Collard Green Stew
(Croatian Rastika)

From Frank About Croatia
Rastika is a Dalmatian collard greens stew. If you travel through Dalmatia in winter you will notice that almost all veggie gardens contain collard greens, a tall leafy plant with yellow flowers.
Collard greens are mostly made as a stew or soup with cured meat, particularly cured sheep meat, called kastradina in Croatia.
However, we find cured sheep meat to have to strong flavor for our taste and we prepare rastika using only pancetta.
Quickly parboil collard greens. In olive oil fry some garlic briefly, add pancetta, and a few pepperoncini. Add collard greens, cover with water and add olive oil. Cook slowly until done. Serve warm with extra olive oil to your taste.

Collard Wraps


Ingredients
5 large collard leaves
Filling
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
2 cups shredded cabbage (green and/or purple)
2/3 cup shredded carrots
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Cilantro and salt to taste
Cashew paste (combine in blender):
1/2 cup cashews
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1/8 cup water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 tsp herbs de Provence
​
Steam collard leaves until softened, about 5 minutes. Fill leaves with filling and some cashew paste. Roll up like a burrito and cut in half. Arrange on a plate and garnish with nasturtium flowers if available.

Basic Stir Fry

1.  Chop into thin strips
2.  Brown chopped collards in some oil in hot frying pan
3.  Add a little water or broth, salt & pepper, reduce heat, cover and steam for about 20 minutes until tender.

Variations: sauté some onions and garlic first, then add collards and cook as above. And/or add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar at the end.

​Other ideas: 
  • Use steamed tree collard leaves instead of cabbage in cabbage roll recipes.
  • Use as wraps. Fill with ground lamb sautéed with onions, shredded carrots & ginger. Or, fill with shredded/chopped raw vegetables: cabbage, carrots, red pepper and a paste from blended cashews, sesame seeds, olive oil, water & lemon juice.