If you’ve never had collard greens before, they’re an even heartier cousin to cabbage and kale. When shopping, try to find a bunch that has the largest leaves so you can add more filling to each wrap.  Try to make sure there aren’t any holes in the leaves.

Start a large pot of water to boil. The pot should be large enough in diameter that you can lay the collards in without having to bend or fold them too much.

Rinse your collards well, being careful not to damage the leaves.  Chop off the excess stalks as close to the leaf as you can. Position one leaf so that the stalk is facing up toward you. Near the center of the leaf, carefully insert the tip of a sharp knife into the stalk as close to the leaf as possible without puncturing.

Staying as close as you can to the leaf, slide the knife down the stalk to separate it. You should err on the side of the stalk being too thick rather than accidentally puncturing the leaf. The stalk will still be connected to the leaf at the point where you made the initial cut. Cut through the point at a slight angle in order to separate the stalk completely.

You can see that my stalk is still a little taller than the thickest veins on the leaf. That’s okay because we’ll be blanching the leaves to make them more pliable (as well as easier to chew).

Once all of your leaves are prepped, it’s time to blanch them. Drop the leaves into the boiling water, making sure they are completely submerged.

After 60 seconds, use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the leaves, shake off the excess hot water, and place the greens into ice cold water to stop the cooking process. The leaves should now have a beautiful emerald green color.

Shake off the water and stack the leaves on paper towels. Make sure the leaves are not bent or folded.

Now it’s time to wrap. Position the leaf with the stalk side down and pointed toward you.

Add your filling to the right of the stalk, near the bottom of the leaf.  How much filling you can add will depend on how large your leaf is, but in general you can probably add about half a cup.

Fold the bottom of the leaf up toward the top.

Fold the top of the leaf down over your previous fold.

Flip your wrapping station 90 degrees clockwise so that your right edge is now your bottom edge. Tuck that edge up under the top edge of your filling.

Tightly roll it the rest of the way.

And enjoy!