From the Washington Post. I love collard greens and I usually make them with bacon, simmer them in water for 45 minutes and don't drain them because the "potlikker" is great. This soup is almost exactly what I do, even including the time to cook the collard greens. Too many recipes say to simmer collards for a few minutes until wilted, like you would with spinach. Collard greens are a "hardy" green and need long-time cooking. Anyway this recipe sounds terrific because it's so similar to how I cook collards.
Ingredients
For the soup:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces andouille sausage, diced (may substitute with another smoked sausage such as kielbasa)
1 bunch (10 to 12 ounces) collard greens, washed, de-stemmed, if desired, and cut into 1/4-inch thick ribbons
1 small yellow onion (about 5 ounces), sliced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups (1 quart) unsalted or low-sodium chicken stock
One (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup water
For the dumplings:
3/4 cup cornmeal, preferably medium grind
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
1. Make the soup: In a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the collard greens, onion, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables soften and the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and water to the pot, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed to keep it at a simmer, until the collard greens are tender, anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or more depending on the age of the greens and how much chew you want them to have. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the potlikker and set aside.
3. Make the dumplings: In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and give it a stir. Whisk the olive oil and reserved potlikker into the dry ingredients until evenly combined.
4. Carefully spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of the dumpling batter at a time into the simmering soup at least 1 inch apart to get 12 dumplings, cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, dividing the dumplings evenly among them and serve.
