Mama Nava's Ye'abesha Gomen (Collard Greens)

Posted: October 14th, 2009
by MamaNava77

Sefardic Ethiopian Gomen (Collard Greens) with southern flair. Living in the south, along with spices, we season just about everything with sugar! I have several girlfriends who live up north (New York, Chicago), so when I introduced this recipe to them, and told them that the ingredient which brings out the flavor is sugar, they couldn't believe it! Now, they won't make any other type of greens except Emah Nava's (Emah is Hebrew for Mama) lol

Serves/Yields: Approx. 8-10 1/2 cup servings

collard greens kale onions

2-4 lbs. Kale, Mustard, or Collard Greens - Chopped
White or Vidalia Onions (1 Lg or 2 medium size. Minced onions may also be used) - Quartered & Sliced
Minced or Fresh Garlic (season to taste ~ if you love garlic use 3-4 cloves of fresh/2-3 tbs minced)
Sea Salt & Chicken Low Sodium Bouillon Cubes, or better yet Vegetable Bouillon Cubes (to taste)
*Dried Basil (to taste)
Raw Sugar (season just enough to bring out the flavor)
Cayenne Pepper (fresh jalapeno peppers may be used in place of cayenne. Or omit for young palates)
Water (enough to cover bottom of pan as the greens make their own juice - add more or less depending on desire)
Olive Oil

1. In a very large skillet bring water (enough to cover bottom of skillet), olive oil, bouillon cubes, onions, and garlic to a simmer. (Shhh ... Emah's Secret: Making a pot of good greens begins with creating a well-seasoned broth)
2. When onions are tender, carefully place 1/2 of the greens, cayenne pepper, sea salt, basil, sugar. Drizzle more olive oil on top. Repeat, folding the first layer over until the vegetables are well-coated with broth and oil. Finish with more basil if desired.
3. Simmer on med-low heat until greens are tender and the seasonings have "married" (approx. 6-8 mins. for crispier greens/approx. 24 mins. for a more tender yield)

(*Experiment with other herbs as well -thyme, oregano, dill weed, marjoram are nice)

Comments (3)

navamichaels writes: Hello, Everyone!

Thanks for trying my recipe! Wow how time flies! It's been almost 2 years since I've posted anything here. I have many more recipes to try, so hope you'll check back! Posted: 10:40 am on January 11th

FreddieFlea writes: Even though I'm a southerner, I never liked greens-too mushy, stringy, slimy. Well, this recipe changed all that and without bacon! Great!
We had to double it last time I made it for a dinner party and they were gone. Posted: 10:04 am on January 4th

Casserola writes: This is delicious! I used vegetable broth in place of water & bouillon cubes; 1/4 tsp raw sugar, 4 garlic cloves, 1 thinly sliced red onion, 1 tsp dried basil, a few shakes of cayenne pepper, salt, freshly ground pepper and olive oil and cooked as directed. Served with vinegar on the side (apple cider or pepper depending on taste). Thanks MamaNava77! Posted: 9:59 pm on January 1st

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