I love collard greens, green chard & red chard. And obviously they're good for you - so we eat them a lot. I cook all my greens the same way. Fast. I know a lot of people cook them for hours, especially collards, but not me. I just never saw the need. I've obviously had other greens, the kind that are cooked for a long time until they fall apart, and I just prefer mine to be honest.
I don't like bitter greens, so I always get the most mild varieties, such as collard greens (these are best in the winter months), or green chard. Red chard is also fine, but it's not as sweet as the green chard. At least not in California.
Here is my super-simple and fast method:
Wash them good, take out the stem. Bring to boil some water or broth (enough to submerge greens in), add 1/4C red wine, then boil greens for about 5-10 minutes until tender. Taste them, are they tender enough for you? Cook a few minutes longer if needed, but I think the texture is better when they're cooked until tender, but not overcooked and mushy. See how pretty bright green they are? When they're done, drain them.
Finally, mix in a teaspoon of bacon fat. Oh yeah. This will give them that smoky-n-porky-n-fatty taste that goes so well with greens. You can also garnish with crumbled bacon as well.
Eat your greens! They are a good source of Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron and Manganese. All that and they taste good too!
