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Southern-Style Collard Greens

Source of Recipe

From "B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style" by Barbara Smith


Recipe Introduction

"This recipe is reminiscent of my mother's. She seemed to let her greens simmer away for hours! I make mine with ham hocks, which help tenderize the greens and add flavor, along with a little brown sugar to take away any bitterness. A lot of Southern families serve their greens with a side of bread to dip in the cooking broth, known as pot-likker. The broth is packed with vitamins and refers to the leftover "liquor" in the pot, after your greens have cooked. It not only tastes good - it's really good for you!"

List of Ingredients

• 4 smoked ham hocks
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 pounds collard leaves
• Chicken stock, broth, or water as needed
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

Rinse the ham hocks and score the skin in several places. In a heavy 8- to 9-quart pot, combine the hocks, onion, and bay leaves with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, until the hocks are falling apart.

Remove the ham hocks from the cooking liquid, and reserve the meat, discarding the bones, skin and fat. Strain the cooking liquid, skim off the fat, and return it to the pot.

While the ham hocks are cooking, remove the stems from the collard greens and roughly chop; set aside. Add enough chicken stock or water to the cooking liquid to make 6 cups. Add the chopped collard greens, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and reserved ham. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the greens are very tender. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.