Collard greens are the symbol for paper money because of their bright green color. Here they form the base for poached eggs. Serve this dish right from your iron skillet.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 bunches of collards, stemmed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 6 eggs
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Queso Fresco or shredded Monterey Jack 

Instructions

1. Heat a large (12” or larger), heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the bacon and cook until crispy.
3. Remove the bacon from the pan and crumble it.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the pan along with the crumbled bacon.
5. Using the same pan on medium-low, sauté until the onion and garlic are starting to get tender but have not yet browned.
6. Add half the collard greens and the salt, and sauté until the greens wilt.
7. Add the remaining collards and sauté until the collards are done but still a pretty green.
8. Stir in the lemon juice and chicken broth.
9. Turn the heat back up and create 6 pockets in the greens for the eggs. 
10. Add ½ tablespoon of butter to each of the 6 pockets and let it melt.
11. Crack an egg into each pocket.
12. Cover and simmer until the white is cooked but the yolk is still runny.
13. Sprinkle each egg with the pepper and queso fresco and replace the cover for a few seconds – long enough for the cheese to melt.
14. Serve with the black-eyed pea salsa.