Collard Greens, A Southern Tradition



Picture credit: http://www.thedailygreen.com/



Learning to cook according to the seasons can be difficult, especially during the winter.  According to many southerners, nothing beats the taste of collard greens.  If cooked properly, they are right!  If you've never had the chance to make them, give this recipe a try, you might just surprise yourself and your family!



Photo Credit: http://www.cooknutri.com/



Collard Greens

1 1/2 quarts water

1 1/2 pounds ham hocks
4 pounds collard greens, rinsed and trimmed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
A splash of vinegar (white vinegar)
Hot sauce

One tip for when you're prepping - wash the cut collards in your sink 3 times, adding baking soda to the first wash. This helps remove some of the bitterness.

Place the water and the ham hock in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to very low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Add the collards and the hot pepper flakes the pot. Simmer covered for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add the vinegar, cook 30 minutes more and serve.

If you don't want the fat of ham hock or salt pork, you can use smoked turkey wings and the flavor is still
quite good. But whatever you do, DON'T try to cook collard greens without some kind of salted meat.

A splash of cider vinegar is essential. When the greens are fully cooked, I remove the ham hocks, shred the meat, and add it back to the greens.

You MUST eat collard greens with chopped raw tomatoes and chopped raw onions sprinkled on top. 

Pepper sauce if you like it, if you don't know what this is, it's peppers stuffed into a bottle of white vinegar and left to sit either on a shelf or in the fridge for a few months, then you sprinkle the juice on the greens --
They're a green pepper and medium hot.

Enjoy!