Smoky Collard Greens with Cornmeal Dumplings

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A one-pot Southern supper: collard greens braised low and slow in a smoky, tangy pot likker with black-eyed peas, then topped with pillowy cornmeal dumplings that steam right on top of the pot. All the depth of a long-simmered greens pot with no meat at all — smoked paprika, a whisper of liquid smoke, and a hit of cider vinegar do the heavy lifting.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lb collard greens, stemmed and cut into 1-inch ribbons
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 15-oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

• 3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp refined coconut oil, melted (or neutral oil)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened oat milk
• 2 tbsp sliced scallions

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp sliced scallions
• hot sauce, for serving

Instructions

1. Wash the collard greens well in a sink of cold water, shaking out any grit. Strip the leaves from the thick center ribs, stack the leaves, and cut them crosswise into 1-inch ribbons. You'll have a big pile — it cooks down to about a quarter of its volume.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide 6-quart Dutch oven or deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden at the edges, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and stir for 45 seconds, just until fragrant.
3. Add the collards in three or four handfuls, stirring after each addition and letting them wilt down for a minute before adding more. Once all the greens are in the pot, pour in the vegetable broth, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the greens are completely silky and tender. Stir in the black-eyed peas and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Taste the pot likker and adjust salt — it should be smoky, sour, and slightly sweet. There should still be about 1 inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot; add a splash of water if it has cooked down further.
5. While the greens simmer, make the dumplings: whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar in a bowl. Pour in the melted coconut oil and oat milk, add 2 tablespoons scallions, and stir with a fork just until a thick, sticky batter forms — about 15 strokes. Do not overmix, and let it sit for 5 minutes to hydrate.
6. Adjust the greens to a bare, steady simmer. Drop the batter over the surface of the greens in 8 rounded mounds using two spoons, spacing them apart; they should rest on top of the greens, not sink into the broth.
7. Cover tightly and steam over low heat, without lifting the lid, for 18 minutes. The dumplings are done when they've puffed and doubled and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
8. Uncover, drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon cider vinegar over the greens around the dumplings, and scatter with the remaining scallions. Spoon greens, peas, and plenty of pot likker into shallow bowls, set a dumpling or two on top, and pass hot sauce at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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