Doug Flicker’s Collard Greens from Come In, We’re Closed

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Oct 16, 2012 at 12:24pm

piccolo collards greens doug flicker come in we're closed stephanie meyer fresh tart

I just returned last night from a weekend of eating my way through New York. While we had a killer time eating very special things, I thought on several occasions…I eat better than this in Minneapolis. What?! But yes! I’ve been thinking this on the last few trips I’ve taken, especially pork dishes, which I declare: Minneapolis has conquered. If you’re a regular at Butcher & the Boar, Corner Table, The Craftsman, Piccolo, Heartland, The Bachelor Farmer, HauteDish – plus many, many other spots in town (name them below, please) – you are eating better pork than New Yorkers.

Yeah, I just said that.

In fact, the way my week played out last week now seems supernaturally designed to illustrate just this point. I was invited to the staff meal prepared by Doug Flicker of Piccolo Restaurant, to promote his inclusion in a new cookbook, Come In, We’re Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World’s Best Restaurants. Co-authors Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy spend two years traveling the world, enjoying staff meals (the meal served to restaurant staff before service) in 25 iconic restaurants. Any jealousy I felt about the authors terrific idea was wiped away by chatting at the dinner with Eddy, who is lovely and a bit in awe herself at what she and Carroll experienced and achieved.

piccolo staff meal doug flicker come in we're closed stephanie meyer fresh tart

Flicker’s staff meal was a buffet of rib-stickin’ Southern love, with piles of pulled pork, collard greens, red beans & rice, coleslaw, and cornbread. I meant to eat lightly, taste things, then go home to cook dinner for my family. Uh no. I saw the spread, squealed, and proceeded to pile my plate high, trying to take pictures while balancing the bounty, and tucked into some of the best pulled pork this pork lover has ever had. And collard greens! I confess that I also have a soft spot for collard greens, but these were such a treat. Even though the collards recipe is not included in the book, the recipes for Cast-Iron Cornbread with Maple-Bacon Butter, Celery Root and Almond Slaw, Mr. Pickle’s Pulled Pork with Johnny Two Socks’ BBQ Sauce, and Slow-Cooked Red Beans with Ham Hocks are included. Eddy generously shared the recipe for the collard greens, so armed with this, and the book, I have my next dinner party already planned.

A few days after the Piccolo staff meal, I sat my Minnesota self down at Red Rooster Harlem, the highly-acclaimed fusion-soul food restaurant of Aquavit chef Marcus Samuelsson. Back in the day, when Aquavit still graced Minneapolis, it was one of my favorite restaurants. I was seriously excited to eat my way through the menu at Red Rooster, but our meal was…not good. I’m not the only one who thought so – we were a group of 8 disappointed diners – but I knew that I was very much comparing my meal to the staff meal at Piccolo, wishing I were back enjoying that meal…

piccolo staff meal doug flicker come in we're closed stephanie meyer fresh tart

So hey. I love you NYC, and I’ll be back soon to eat and be inspired and come back with a million ideas. In the mean time, I’ll be eating just beautifully in Minneapolis, thank you.

Linh Ho’s Collard Greens

Chef Doug Flicker, Piccolo Restaurant
Serves 4-6

6 strips applewood smoked bacon, coarsely chopped
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. white wine
4 bunches collard greens, rinsed thoroughly to remove all residue, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 c. chicken stock
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large saute pan over medium heat, sweat the bacon until it begins to release its fat. Add the onions and saute until the onions are translucent and the bacon is crispy. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the collard greens and saute for two minutes, stirring until the leaves are glistening. Add the stock, reduce heat to low, cover and gently simmer until the collards are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the garlic powder and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Older Comments

  1. By FreshTartSteph on October 16, 2012 at 3:23PM

    DEAL. We really need a trip to SF, we've been talking about it...

  2. By Arthur on October 16, 2012 at 2:27PM

    ok. i'll buy that. but next time your in SF, we're going to have to do a pork off.

  3. By FreshTartSteph on October 16, 2012 at 2:25PM

    For sure true, although I have a pretty good idea! And I've had plenty of delicious NYC pork over the years and quite a bit on this trip too (that post forthcoming). But even as I ate the good stuff, I realized how GOOD the pork scene in Minneapolis is. Which makes sense given the terrific pork producers in the state.

  4. By Arthur on October 16, 2012 at 1:05PM

    just to be contrary, maybe new yorkers have it just as good, but you just don't know where to go as well?