April 3: SOUL FOOD with collard greens & sangria

Dinner and a Movie: SOUL FOOD

At Robinson Film Center we believe that movies are food for the soul. And we can all use a little soul food right now. Tonight, we invite you to dine with us using Chef Tootie Morrison’s recipe for her famous collard greens, sip on Mixologist Allison Hollis’ Sangria for the Soul, and watch Soul Food from 1997 starring Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach and Mekhi Phifer. 

Big Mama Joe says it best: "Soul-food cookin' is about cooking from the heart." No matter what she's preparing, the Joseph family matriarch follows her instincts rather than a recipe, understanding that sometimes good cooking is as much about the feeling you put into your food as the technique you use to prepare it.

Where you can find Soul Food

• STARZ app (free with subscription)

• Rent on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video ($3.99)

Chef Tootie’s Collard Greens

This recipe is my memory of my grandmother Shankcats collard greens.

 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 medium white onion (thinly sliced)

• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes

• 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

• 1/4 cup sugar or honey

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 

• 7 cups water

• 3 bunches fresh collard greens (Cut into ribbon size slices with stems still in tack. Discard stem after pulling any remaining leaves from stem.)

 Cooking Steps

1. In a medium or large Dutch oven (or pot with tight fitting lid), bring all the ingredients except collard greens to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until flavors develop. Taste the liquid of the onion stock — it should have a flavor combination of salty sweet with a spicy (optional) vinegar finish. Adjust flavors if necessary.

2. Add collard greens and cook on medium low heat until greens are tender. About 1 hour.

3. Serve with cornbread.

Allison’s Sangria for the Soul

This recipe is a simple one that just about anyone can make with ingredients on hand. If you don’t have the exact ingredients your substitution options are endless. 

For a personal serving of Sangria, add:

• 3 1/2 ounce red wine (a blend is my favorite)

• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice

• 1 ounce of orange juice 

• 1 ounce of Deep Eddy’s grapefruit vodka (lemon, orange and peach work too) 

• 1 teaspoon simple syrup*

Stir and add ice garnish with a lemon or orange

*To make your own simple syrup, combine 1 part sugar to 1 part water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.