Couve à Mineira

Minas Gerais's bright green side: collard or kale leaves rolled and sliced into the finest ribbons, then flashed in a very hot pan with garlic and a little bacon, the inseparable companion of feijoada

Origin: Minas Gerais, Brazil

From the journey of Kale.

Couve à mineira, 'kale in the manner of Minas', is one of the most characteristic greens of the Brazilian table, brought to Brazil as the Portuguese couve and made entirely at home in the tropics. It is the work of the cooks of Minas Gerais above all, and it rests on a single decisive technique: the leaves of collard or kale are stripped from their stems, stacked, rolled into a tight cigar, and sliced across into the very finest ribbons, a chiffonade as thin as the cook can manage. These are then thrown into a very hot pan with garlic and a little oil or rendered bacon and tossed for no more than a minute or two, just until they wilt and turn glossy and a vivid, almost electric green, keeping a fresh, faintly bitter bite. Quick, simple, and brilliantly coloured, couve à mineira is the constant partner of feijoada, the great black-bean and pork stew that is Brazil's national dish, where its clean freshness cuts the richness of the beans and meat. It sits equally beside the everyday Brazilian plate of rice, beans, and grilled or roasted meat, and beside the cornmeal of tutu and the crackling of pork. Few side dishes are so simple to make or so essential to a national cuisine.

Ingredients

The Greens

1 large bunch collard greens or kale (about 400g), stems removed

The Pan

3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
80 g smoked bacon, finely diced (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil (or use the bacon fat)
salt, to taste

Method

Strip the leaves from their stems. Stack 5 or 6 leaves at a time, roll them into a tight cigar, and slice across as finely as you possibly can to make thin ribbons. Wash and dry the shredded greens thoroughly.
If using bacon, render it in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat until the fat runs and it begins to crisp. Otherwise, simply heat the olive oil.
Add the garlic and fry for 20 to 30 seconds until fragrant and just golden, taking care not to burn it.
Turn the heat to high, add the shredded greens, and toss constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, just until wilted, glossy, and vivid green. Season with salt.
Serve immediately, classically alongside feijoada with rice, farofa, and orange, or beside any plate of rice, beans, and meat.

Notes

Collard greens (couve) are the traditional choice and give the most authentic result, but curly or Tuscan kale work well too. The bacon is optional; for a vegan version, use olive oil and perhaps a little smoked paprika. The single most important thing is the fine shred and the brief, fierce cooking: this is not a dish of long-stewed greens but of bright, fresh, just-wilted ribbons.

The Gastrographer

Name: Couve à Mineira
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Brazil
Ingredients: 1 large bunch collard greens or kale (about 400g), stems removed; 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced; 80 g smoked bacon, finely diced (optional); 2 tbsp olive oil (or use the bacon fat); salt, to taste

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control