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Traditional Stewed Collards

Source of Recipe

From "Beans, Greens & Sweet Georgia Peaches" by Damon Lee Fowler


Recipe Introduction

"These are the collards that are traditional New Year's Day fare in most Southern households, usually prepared with black-eyed peas or hoppin' John for luck and prosperity."

List of Ingredients

• 1 pound lean country ham in 1 to 2 large pieces, or a country ham hock
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, trimmed, split lengthwise, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 whole hot pepper
• 2 large heads collards
• Salt and whole black pepper in a peppermill
• Turbinado "raw" sugar, optional
• Pepper Vinegar (recipe follows)
• Cornbread


Recipe

Brown the ham or hock in the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (preferably enameled iron) over medium heat. Remove it, add the onion, and sauté it until it is golden, about 5 minutes. Add 2 quarts water and the hot pepper (left whole) and bring slowly to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat as low as possible, and let simmer for at least half an hour - 1 hour will only improve it.

While that simmers, wash, stem, and cut the greens. Raise the heat under the broth to medium-high and bring it back to a rolling boil. Drop in the greens by large handfuls, bring it back to a boil, and reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Cover and cook until the greens are tender, about 20 minutes for young, tender greens or those that have been frost-nipped, as much as an hour for mature greens.

Taste, adjust the salt, and add a few grindings of pepper. If they're not naturally sweet, you may also add a spoonful or so of turbinado sugar. Simmer a few more minutes to allow the flavor to blend. Remove and discard the pepper pod and serve with pepper vinegar and corn bread passed separately.

Serves 4 to 6


Pepper Vinegar:

• 6 ounces whole fresh hot peppers
• About 1 cup cider vinegar

Sterilize a pint jar by boiling it in a water bath for 10 minutes.
Wash the peppers well and dry them. Making sure that your hands are very clean, pack the peppers in the jar.

Bring the vinegar to a boil in a stainless-steel or enameled pan over medium heat. While it is still boiling hot, pour it over the peppers until they are completely covered. Seal the jar, let it cool, and store it in a cool, dark place (the refrigerator is okay) for 2 to 4 weeks before using. Use the peppers within 2 months.

For more prolonged storage, process the jar in a water bath for 10 minutes. Place the jar on a folded cloth so that it doesn't touch anything, and let it cool completely. If it doesn't seal, reprocess it.

Makes 1 pint.