Southern-style greens with vegan eggplant “salt-pork”
Vegetarian? Vegan? Make some greens with “salt-pork” made from eggplant!
It’s the time of year when yummy brassica cultivars like collards, kale, broccoli leaves, and mustard are getting tender and delicious. Eating them raw or in a stir fry results in crunchy nonsense: you need to cook them slowly, with fat and acid, to make them truly delicious.
I’m a big meat-eater, and always use ham-hocks or salt-pork or thick bacon when I make these. But, my wife is vegetarian, and so I’m always looking for ways to duplicate the delightful goodness that fatty meat can impart to a dish. This eggplant “salt-pork” hit all of the right notes, and since eggplant is also in season, there’s no reason not to give it a try!
This is a complex recipe, but the payoff is well worth the prep time!
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch greens (feel free to substitute kale or some other such silliness, but My Heart Belongs to Collards), chopped
- 2 medium japanese eggplants, peeled and diced
- 3/4 c cider vinegar
- 1/3 c water
- 2/3 c flavorless oil (if you don’t want to use Canola, then grapeseed maybe? Just not olive or coconut or something that has a taste)
- 1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- 3.5 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp turmeric
STEP ONE: EGGPLANT
Marinate the night prior to serving:
1. Toss the eggplant in 2 tbsp of the salt. Set aside in a colander to drain for two hours.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, whisking well to make sure they’re completely mixed.
3. Toss the eggplant into the marinade– be sure it’s entirely submerged– and refrigerate overnight.
4. The next day, before starting on the greens, bake the eggplant in the marinade at 200 degrees for 2 hours. You’re essentially making a quick confit with the eggplant.
5. Drain eggplant, but reserve the marinade.
6. Add 1/4 cup of the marinade to a saute pan; saute the eggplant in the marinade for 15 minutes.
STEP TWO: GREENS
1. In a large pot, bring the cider vinegar and water to a boil.
2. When the liquid begins to boil, add the eggplant. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.
3. Add the collard greens. Let cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and/or water to taste as needed.
Serve with cornbread to soak up that delicious potlikker!
*BONUS: Also works with wild greens like garlic mustard and dock!
