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New Year's: Southern Collard Greens

Source of Recipe

Southern Living


Recipe Introduction

"There are many delicious ways to cook collard greens, but this is the best-known way to do it in the South - low and slow in a stockpot (or slow cooker) with plenty of bold, smoky ingredients to amp up the flavor of the greens. These collard greens may take a few hours to simmer, but they only require a few minutes of hands-on cooking time. And they can be made ahead and reheat beautifully - in fact, they taste even better on the second or third day. Traditionally, Southern collard greens are made with pork. In this recipe, chopped bacon is cooked until almost crisp and the drippings are used to sauté chopped onions, which forms the foundation of the dish, along with chopped smoked ham. You can also up the smoky flavor by adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the broth. Don't forget to add apple cider vinegar to the broth. If you're new to making collard greens, this might seem like a strange addition, but the vinegar adds a welcome tangy note that brightens the dish and balances out the salty, savory flavors. A tablespoon of sugar also helps balance out the dish. If you like your greens on the spicy side, add a tablespoon of red pepper flakes, or serve the finished dish with hot pepper vinegar or hot sauce on the side."

List of Ingredients

◦  12 hickory-smoked bacon slices, finely chopped
◦  2 medium-size sweet onions, finely chopped
◦  ¾ pound smoked ham, chopped
◦  6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
◦  3 (32-ounce) containers chicken broth
◦  3 (1-pound) packages fresh collard greens, washed and trimmed
◦  ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
◦  1 tablespoon sugar
◦  1 teaspoon salt
◦  ¾ teaspoon pepper


Recipe

Cook bacon over medium heat in a 10-quart stockpot for 10 to 12 minutes or until almost crisp.

Add onion to stockpot, and sauté 8 minutes. Add garlic and ham, and sauté 1 minute.

Stir in broth, collard greens, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook 2 hours or until desired degree of tenderness.


Makes 10 to 12 servings