11/06/2017
The holiday season is a time of razzle, dazzle and sparkle and when planning a holiday feast, you want your guests to get the full experience. You want it to look good and taste even better! Since you’ve already got the Hatteras Island Oyster Dressing, bring even more island flare with some collards and cornmeal dumplings and have everyone drooling!
Collards & Cornmeal Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients:
For The Collards
- 4 Bundles of Fresh Collards
- 3 Fingers of Salt Pork
- ½ cup Sugar
- Salt/Pepper (to taste)
- Pinch of Baking Soda
For the Dumplings (Makes 5)
- 1 cup White Cornmeal
- ¼ cup of White Flour
- 1 tbsp Shortening
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ – ¾ cup Hot Water
Preparation:
Thoroughly wash the collards with cold water. Repeat three times. Freeze before cooking.
NOTE: Ol’ timers insist it takes three washes to breakdown/soften the collards. By the third wash your water will be green. Freezing them is supposed to rid the collards of any bitterness.
Directions:
-In a large pot, lightly fry the salt pork. Once cooked, add enough water to cover the collards without adding them to the pot. Add the ½ cup of sugar and then season with salt and pepper to your preference. Add pinch of baking soda and bring water to a boil before finally adding the collards. Add lid and cook for roughly 4 hours until tender and dark green.
-In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and shortening. Slowly add hot water to mixture until desired texture is achieved. You want the mixture to be moldable, not runny. Once complete, wet hands with cold water and pat out the dumplings.
-Once collards are fully cooked, remove half of the collards and add dumplings one at a time. They will take approximately 20 minutes to cook.
