Southern Cooking - Kielbasa and...

I grew up having kielbasa & cabbage. I love cabbage anyway and the slight spice and smokiness of the kielbasa added such rich flavor to the crunchiness of the cabbage. I've made it off and on over the years, Joey loves it too, and since we recently started carrying fresh local kielbasa from Harmony Ridge Farms at the +GROCERY part of the store it seemed like a perfect time to cook a favorite.

With the current situation (Covid, stay at home, that deal...) and us now having a little grocery we are trying to bring home stuff that is nearing the end of it's shelf life or doesn't look good enough to sell - and today we had a few bunches of local collard greens.

Hmmmm....I love sautéed collards (like many southern veggies everyone seems to think you have to cook the crap out of them, hours and hours, but we like them al denté with some crunch left over) so why not substitute collards for the cabbage? And while we're at it I brought home a handful of turnips that were getting soft. Add in a shallot and some garlic and we're cooking a southern take on this classic dish! Kielbasa & Cabbage meat the classic combo of pork and collards.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of kielbasa

2 bunches of collard greens

3 tablespoons of butter

1 shallot

1 large or 2 small turnips

8 or so garlic cloves

Salt & pepper

STEP 1

Brown the kielbasa in the butter. The sausages we have are in casings that we removed and we'll brown these and break them up a bit. If you have the store type of kielbasa like mom used to use - think Hillshire Farm or the like, just cut into slices. Once browned put aside, we're cooking the veg in the fat from this step.

STEP 2

Dice the turnips and add to the pan over medium heat. Simmer for 2 minutes or so and add the shallot. Simmer for another 5 or 6 minutes. For the greens we've cut out the tough stem, rolled them remaining leaves up, made one cut down the middle then cut across into strips. Add these and the chopped garlic to the pan. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until they reach the softness you prefer.

STEP 3

Add the browned kielbasa back to the pan, cook for another 2 - 3 minutes tossing or stirring regularly. Serve!