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Tasty Tahini Collards

Tastes like traditional recipes but takes half the time and is better for you. Because it uses tahini instead of fatback or pork sidemeat, this recipe has no cholesterol, much less saturated fat and sodium, and more copper, manganese, calcium, and iron.

These robust greens are cheap, hearty, and super-good for you. For years, I'd used a traditional recipe from Bill Neal's Southern Cooking. But he calls for pork sidemeat and more than an hour of boiling. He also throws away the collard stems, which just need a little extra cooking to make them tender. The stems add bulk, too, which helps keep your big bag of collards from cooking down into nothing. Collards get sweeter once they've been "touched by frost," as they say here, so enjoy them all winter.

Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes. Makes about 8 servings, 1/2 cup each. Vegan.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds collard greens
1 tablespoon corn oil
1 onion
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/8 teaspoon chipotle or cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon tahini

Method

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Peel and chop onion and put in the pot, stirring frequently to keep from burning. Turn heat down to medium low if the onion starts to burn.
2. In a big bowl of water, rinse collard leaves thoroughly in small batches. You may need to rinse each batch two or three times, changing the water when it gets dirty. Stack leaves up on your cutting board so stems line up, then make a V-shaped cut to remove stems from leaves. (You may need to make several stacks.) Cut off bottom edge of stems and chop rest into pieces about 1/4 inch long. Add chopped stems to pot as you get them ready. Cut leaves into thin ribbons, about 1/4 inch wide.
3. Add water, salt, sugar, pepper, and tahini to onion mixture and stir to combine. Turn heat to high, then add leaves. When water boils, turn heat to medium low and cover pot. Boil collards gently for 15 or 20 minutes until tender, stirring every three or four minutes to coat leaves with broth until they wilt. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Serve hot. Refrigerate or freeze any extra.

Tips and notes

• Serve collards with Hoppin' John and cornbread. Pass the hot sauce if desired.