Bacon Collard Greens with Rancho Gordo Beans

For this fall-inspired dish, I wanted to channel all things cozy and comforting. This nourishing recipe features Juniper brown rice, Rancho Gordo pinto beans, Lake Meadow Farms bacon, delicata squash, and the star of the show, Brick Street Farm’s deliciously tender petit collard greens. All of these hearty ingredients are currently available at the Brick Street Farms market storefront.

Ingredients: 

BSF petit collard greens (about 1lb)

Lake Meadow Farms Bacon (about 4 slices)

Rancho Gordo Pinto Beans

Juniper Brown Rice

Delicata Squash

Spicewalla Creole Seasoning

Chicken Broth (about 1.5 cups)

Yellow or white onion

Salt and Pepper

Red pepper flakes

Olive oil

Optional: 

Sriracha aioli

Cilantro micro greens

Instructions:

For the beans:

First, add your desired amount of pinto beans to a pot. Cover the beans with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a full boil for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently until done. Season to taste. A pre-soak will lessen the cooking time. (Instructions can be found on the side of the Rancho Gordo package.)

For the Juniper Brown Rice:

In a medium saucepan, bring one cup of rice and two cups of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook, and cover for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff & serve. (Instructions can be found on the side of the Juniper Brown Rice package.)

For the Collard Greens:

Trim the thick stems from collard greens; coarsely chop leaves. In a Dutch oven or thick bottom pot, saute bacon for 3 minutes. Add onion; cook until onion is tender and bacon is somewhat crisp. Traditionally, collard greens are boiled with a large ham hock, but we are using a slightly faster approach with bacon for this recipe.  Add greens and seasoning; cook just until wilted.

I used about a tablespoon of creole seasoning, but you can use any blend you like (paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, chilli powder, cumin) as long as you include garlic powder and salt, it will taste great! Just remember to taste as you go and make sure not to over-salt. Keep in mind that the greens will shrink down in size so I recommend salting near the end.

Cover and with about 1.5 cups of chicken broth. Then, cover and let look on medium/low for about 30 minutes, checking often and cooking to your desired consistency.

For the Delicata squash:

Trim the stem of the squash and chop it in half. Next, scoop out the center and slice into slivers, leaving on the skin. Place the squash on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

Plate and top with your sauce of choice and some microgreens! I chose sriracha aioli and micro cilantro (both available at the market.)

Enjoy!