~My Mama's Greens with Ham Hocks~
Source of Recipe
My Mama (Ms. Celia)
Recipe Introduction
This is as close to my Mama's greens as I can get. Even though they are good, they will never be as good as her...like hers will never be as good as her Mom. She is known all over B'ham, AL for her greens and a few other places too.
List of Ingredients
2 large bunches of collards (or 4 small bunches)
3 medium ham hocks
6 slices of salt pork
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon hot sauce, or (1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or ....1 small jalapeno pepper, only if you want it spicy)
salt to taste
Recipe
1) Wash ham hocks & put in large pot. Add water to cover. Cover and cook on high heat until water starts to boil, then change to medium heat. Cook until almost done. Take out ham hocks and cut into bite size pieces. Put meat and bone back into pot with no more than 1 cup of liquid left in pot. **If you have extra liquid, reserve in case you need it for greens.
2) While hocks are cooking, rinse leaves of greens to remove trash or dirt. Cut out big stems down to middle of leaf. Stack about 5 or 6 leaves on top of each other, roll tightly and cut into 1/4 inches slices. Wash thoroughly, change water 3 to 4 times. Drain greens.
3) Add greens, salt and hot pepper to pot with meat. Cook on high until liquid starts to boil. Then change to medium heat. Make sure water doesn't boil out. **If it gets to low add a cup of water or the liquid from ham hocks if you have any left.
4) While greens are cooking, preheat oven 375F. Boil salt pork to remove some of the salt, about 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off salt pork with hot water. Place 1 tablespoon of oil in frying pan, add salt pork, cover. Cook in oven turning once until done. BE CAREFUL OF POPPING GREASE WHEN TURNING MEAT.
5) When greens are half way done, add oil from salt pork, no more that 4 ounces and continue cook until tender.
This is good with fried chicken and potato salad.
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TURNIPS/MUSTARDS
Follow same instructions, except you have to wash them 5 to 6 times or until there's no more grit in bottow of sink. Also, you strip them away from the stems and you don't cut them up, you break them into medium size pieces. After you finish washing them, let them soak in water with 1 tablespoon of baking soda for about 30 minutes. This is just for the turnips and mustards.
You can cook them with ham hocks or you can cook them with any smoked meat:
1. Smoked pig tails
2. Smoked neck bones
3. Smoked turkey butts, necks or chopped wings
4. Smoked country ham
Sometimes turnips and mustards tend to be bitter, add a little sugar. Sometimes even sugar don't help.
My Mom said that if they are bitter, they were picked before the frost fell on them. When it comes to greens, she's always right.
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