Southern-Style Collard Greens

Southern-Style Collard Greens. New Year’s Day is fast approaching, and if you have Southern Roots, chances are you’ll want to make a pot of these lucky nutrient-enriched greens called “Collard Greens” for a chance at better fortune since the leaves represent folded money in old Southern Folklore.

Collard greens have been a staple vegetable in Southern U.S. cuisine for many years. They are often mixed with other green leafy vegetables, such as kale, turnip greens, spinach, and mustard greens.

Most of us love to eat these tasty greens year-round in the Deep South. The Typical Southern flavorings and seasonings used in collard greens are smoked ham hocks, salted pork neckbones, fatback, smoked bacon, andouille sausage, diced onions, a smidge of vinegar, salt, and black, white, or crushed red, pepper, and a pinch of sugar to take the bitterness away if need be.

Traditionally, collard greens are eaten by many on New Year’s Day, with black-eyed peas or field peas and homemade cornbread to ensure wealth in the coming year, as the leaves of the greens resemble folded money. Cornbread is often used to mop up delicious pot liquids.

Can you believe; that Ancient Greeks grew collard greens and kale, and Romans produced several varieties, including one with large leaves and stalks possessing a mild flavor. That means Collard greens have been eaten for at least 2000 years. Isn’t that crazy? Well, insane good, apparently, so get those collard greens going.

Happy New Year from The McCallum Family.

Ingredients needed to make Southern-Style Collard Greens

• Three cups of low-sodium chicken broth

• Three cups of water

• One sizeable smoked ham hock

• Three slices of smoked thick-cut bacon

• Two tablespoons of unsalted butter

• One large yellow onion chopped

• Five cloves of garlic chopped

• Three pounds of fresh collard greens

• One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

• A dash of hot sauce

• Two tablespoons of sugar, optional

• One tablespoon of Cajun seasoning

• 1/2 of a tablespoon of kosher salt

• freshly ground pepper to your own taste

How to clean Southern-Style Collard Greens

1. Inspect the greens thoroughly. Pull off any yellow or limp leaves as you separate the bunch.

2. Soak the collard greens for at least 10 minutes to let all the grit float to the top of the water.

3. Wash the leaves by swishing them vigorously in a bowl of cold water. Pull the leaves out of the water, re-fill the bowl with clean water and repeat until you no longer see any grit coming off. It usually takes about three cycles for farm-fresh greens.

4. Pat or spin the greens dry.

5. Cut away the tough stems and, if you prefer, the center veins.

Southern-Style Collard Greens

Heidy McCallum

New Years Day is fast approaching and if you have Southern Roots, chances are you’ll be wanting to make a pot of these lucky nutrient enriched greens called, “Collard Greens” for a chance at better fortune; since the leaves represent folded money in old Southern Folklore

5 from 12 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Southern

Servings 6 people

Calories 252 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 large smoked ham hock
• 3-4 slices smoked bacon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 5 cloves garlic chopped
• 3 pounds fresh collard greens cleaned, chopped
• 1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
• 1 dash hot sauce or to taste
• 2 tablespoons sugar optional
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• kosher salt to own taste
• freshly ground black pepper to own taste

Instructions

 

• Place 3 cups of low sodium chicken broth and 3 cups of water in a large stockpot and bring to a rolling boil.
• Add the smoked ham hock and thick sliced smoked bacon; simmer for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.
• Meanwhile, wash the collard greens cleaning each leaf under cold running water until free of any unwanted debris.
• Fold each collard leaf in half, on a large cutting board and cut the leaf away from the stem.
• Next stack about 5 of the collard leaves together on your cutting board.
• Begin at one end and roll the leaves up tightly like a cigar. Then, cut long ways down the center of the rolled collard green leaves.
• Squeeze the cut sections back together, rotate and cut the roll into about 1/2 of an inch ribbon. Reserve the collard greens to the side till they are ready to cook.
• Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a metal skillet on medium heat and let it slowly melt, add the chopped onions and chopped garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat; or till softened.
• Add the collard greens to the large stockpot in 1/3 or 1/4 batches at a time, let them wilt down for about 2-3 minutes and then add another batch to the pot to do the same, till all collard greens are in the pot.
• Add the cooked onions and garlic at this time to the large stockpot.
• Next, add the apple cider vinegar, a dash of hot sauce, sugar, Cajun seasoning, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper to own taste. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer about 45-55 minutes.
• Remove the ham hock and thickly sliced bacon from the collard greens at this time.
• Remove the collard greens from the stockpot with a slotted spoon; place in a serving dish, add as much of the wonderful juice as desired back to the greens.
• Serve with your favorite Southern main course and cornbread to mop up those juices.

Notes

Although themccallumsshamrockpatch.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and how ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will themccallumsshamrockpatch.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information.

Nutrition

Serving: 01Calories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 19gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 267mgPotassium: 787mgFiber: 10gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 12074IUVitamin C: 83mgCalcium: 552mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Collard Greens, Greens

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