Collard Greens and Grits with Peanut Salsa

SERVES 4

I love peanut salsa. This dish is basically inspired by my love for Daniela Soto-Innes’s salsa macha, which she serves at Cosme.

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For the collard greens:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 to 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

⅓ cup sugar

2 teaspoons Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Korean chili flakes

4 bunches collard greens, stems removed and leaves chopped (10 cups chopped)

½ cup water

For the grits:

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

½ cup good stone-ground grits

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

⅓ cup cream cheese

1½ teaspoons Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2½ tablespoons sour cream

For the peanut salsa:

1 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil

5 cloves garlic, peeled

8 or 9 dry pasilla peppers, seeds and stems removed

12 arbol chilies, seeds and stems removed

2 packed cups cilantro, stems included

1 cup natural chunky peanut butter (creamy works, but I prefer the texture of crunchy here)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the presentation:

½ cup roasted and salted peanuts, chopped

¼ white onion, thinly sliced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

To cook the greens, heat and melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add and cook the minced garlic until fragrant and cooked through.

Add the remaining ingredients except the collards and water. Cook for 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to develop.

Now add the collard greens and water. Depending on the size of your cooking pot, you may need do this in batches, waiting a few minutes for the collard greens to begin to break down before adding more. Cover and cook over low to medium heat for 2½ to 3 hours.

Cool the collard greens in their potlikker, which should be quite reduced and just coating the greens. Set aside.

For the grits: Bring the milk and water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a medium pot. Whisk in the grits, stirring constantly until they simmer, about 2 minutes. Simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients. Whisk everything together, making sure the butter and cream cheese are fully incorporated.

To make the peanut salsa: Heat the grapeseed oil in a small heavy-bottomed pot. Fry the garlic at medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and set aside.

Cook the pasilla chilies in the hot oil (about 300ºF). Using tongs, submerge each chili for 5 to 10 seconds in the hot oil. Remove it once the chili has darkened in color and has a bubbly texture. (Be careful not to burn the chilies—you’ll know by the smell and overly dark color—which will make the salsa taste bitter.) Fry the arbol chilies in the same fashion. Let the oil cool down.

Pulse the two chilies, the cooking oil, and the garlic in a food processor for 20 seconds. Add the cilantro, natural peanut butter, and salt, and pulse again for 20 seconds.

To serve, divide the grits and collard greens among four bowls. Garnish with peanut salsa, roasted peanuts, sliced onion, cilantro, and a generous squeeze of lime.