Collard Greens – The Green Queen of Winter

Strong, resilient, and full of flavor, collard greens are a vegetable that warms both body and soul.

Growing up, they were a staple in our home, served at least once a week. My mother loved cooking them with dried mutton, and a special treat was the skin-on boiled potatoes we enjoyed alongside them. That aroma still takes me back to childhood and reminds me how the simplest dishes are often the most beautiful.

Later on, I began experimenting with collard greens myself. I would prepare them as small stuffed rolls filled with ground beef or lamb, served with creamy mashed potatoes. Sometimes I cooked them as a barley stew in a rich tomato base – a true winter comfort dish, hearty, filling and irresistible.

Today, I’m sharing that very recipe with you.

Collard Greens with Barley in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1 large bunch of collard greens

- 1 cup of barley

- 1 large onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 carrot

- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

- olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- ground paprika (sweet or smoked)

- 1 bay leaf

- optional: a small amount of dried pancetta or other cured meat

Preparation:

1. Rinse the barley and, if needed, soak it in water for at least one hour.
2. Wash the collard greens, remove the tough central stems, and slice into thin strips.
3. In olive oil, gently sauté the finely chopped onion (and pancetta, if using).
4. Add the garlic and grated carrot and sauté briefly.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and ground paprika.
6. Add the collard greens, barley and bay leaf.
7. Pour in enough water to cover everything.
8. Simmer over low heat for 45–60 minutes, until the barley is tender.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve warm with homemade bread.