In the original story of Little Red Riding Hood written by The Brother's Grimm, Red's mother asks her to take a basket of cake and wine to her grandmother. I wanted to add some cultural context in my rendition of the story: Lil' Red in the Hood, therefore in my story, Lil' Red's mama asks her to bring a basket full of traditional African American foods.
What is in Lil' Red's basket? Collard greens, hot water cornbread and sweet tea; three popular and simple staples in African American cuisine.
Below is the full recipe for Lil' Red's Mama's Collard Greens! I have to say, they are so delicious and taste really good with cornbread. I hope that it makes the story all the more real for you! And if you subscribe, you will be one of the first to know when the complete story is available!
Lil Red's Mama's Collard Greens Recipe
Ingredients:
2 pounds (3 bundles) of collard greens
1 cup of yellow onion, diced
2 cups of tomatoes, diced
4 cups of chicken stock (use vegetable stock to make vegan and vegetarian-friendly)
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon of sriracha or hot sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning or Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions:
Clean the collard greens and cut off the stems.
Stack and roll the leaves and slice into 1/2 inch pieces
Add wet ingredients (chicken stock, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and hot sauce) into pot over medium heat.
Next, add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, Old Bay or Cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and stir to combine the ingredients.
Add the collard greens; press down to sink the greens as much as possible.
Bring to medium heat and stir occassionally.
Cook greens for approx. 2 hours or until greens have reached desired tenderness.
Serve and Enjoy!
