Adam Sappington's Country Cat Collard Greens

This week at opening day, we were fortunate to have our weekly chef demo led by Montavilla's very own Adam Sappington of the Country Cat. Adam has garnered the title of PDX's Iron Chef two years running and has also honored the Montavilla Farmers Market by preparing the feast for the market's Harvest Dinner the past three years. A former chef at the distinguished Wildwood, Adam has been cooking the food of his childhood at 79th and Stark since 2007. Each week they use 175 pounds of bacon, butcher their own meat, cure their own bacon, render their own lard, tallow and duck fat. And they use a lot of produce too - all sourced from local markets of course.
This week Adam showed us how to make a staple of their menu - collard greens. The two key elements of this recipe, as any self-respecting southern chef will tell you, are bacon and time - 2 1/2 hours of low, slow heat. But if you can't wait that long, you can always just head over to the Country Cat and order yourself a plate from the menu. They are now open for brunch and dinner every day of the week. Tell them you heard it at the Montavilla Farmer's Market.


Adam Sappington's Country Cat Collard Greens
serves 4
2 bunches collard greens, stems removed and cut into larger pieces
2 yellow onion, peeled and julienned
1/2 l.b bacon, cubed
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c sherry vinegar
2 qt. chicken stock (also known as 8 cups)
2 T unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized stock pot, melt butter and add bacon. Saute bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from the pot and set aside. Reserve the fat. Add the onions and gently stew until lightly caramelized and soft. Add the bacon, both vinegars, and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. When the liquid begins to simmer, add the chopped collards. Stir to incorporate. Cover pot and cook on low to medium heat for approximately 2 1/2 hours or until collards are very tender.