This was too lemony and too gingery for us. It was very very bright. The only alteration I made was leaving out the green pepper, as I didn't have any. I don't think that would have altered it enough to be palatable for my family. However, the method was interesting and useful, and I will be able to change up the flavorings to make something that our poor american taste buds can handle. :) Just to try to tone down the acid/brightness, I tried drizzling a little honey on the collards. It wasn't enough. So we won't make this specific combination of flavors again, but we will use the method. The lemon, ginger, and slight bitterness of the reduced cooking water was really what overpowered it for us. We're new to collards, though, so it was definitely worth a shot. We will try something a little more traditional southern next time, I think. Or perhaps tone down the ginger and leave out the lemon. It definitely gave an interesting flavor twist to collards, it was just a bit overpowering for us.

Reviewed On: Nov. 24, 2009

Tried this one twice, but used a couple of substitutions both times. First time I subbed jiffy mix, but I don't recommend this, as jiffy mix doesn't fry well--it crumbles and falls apart while soaking the oil up. Second time I subbed hush puppy mix, which worked great! For technique, it doesn't say to drain the goo before dredging, but it definitely worked better when I did. Also, medium high on my electric smoothtop is waay too hot, and turning it down in the middle is too late to do any good. I can't really speak to the flavor of plain cornmeal with salt and pepper, I expect it would be fine, though mild. But on technique I give this one 3 stars because you kinda have to know how to treat okra in order to get this recipe to work perfectly--and I'm a novice. :)

Reviewed On: Sep. 19, 2009

Really enjoyed this with fresh-from-the-garden vegetables. Had to make a few substitutions because of what I had on hand, and I ended up making it in the saucepan rather than baking. But the flavor is definitely there, substitutions or no. Served it over rice, and tossed a can of pinto beans in it (didn't have mushrooms). Subbed yellow banana peppers for the green bell. For the kids, shredded cheddar/jack and for the adults freshly grated parmesan. Very yummy.

Reviewed On: Aug. 3, 2009