A nice woman at work gave me a bunch of Collard Greens from her garden last week. If you don’t know or haven’t ate Collard Greens before then I feel sorry for you. Collards are a southern and soul food staple.
Collards Greens are super simple to cook and most importantly are damn good for you. Collard Greens are full of
vitamin C and also have a ton of anti-cancer properties that
boost the immune system.
To this day, you can’t pay me to eat spinach from a can. Canned spinach is straight shit and I’d just as soon starve to death or eat cat before canned spinach. All this being said and known, fresh good Collard Greens are nothing like spinach and are a million times better.
Cooking Collard Greens is a simple process. All you need is some type of smoked or cured meat, an onion, some chicken stock, vinegar, crushed red pepper and you’re on your way to the races. Typically the meat is ham hocks, but you can use bacon, neck bones, smoked turkey leg, whatever you have. The more ghetto the better it tastes.
There are two parts to good Collard Greens. The Collards and the broth the Collards have cooked in. This liquid is called the “pot liquor”. Its full of nutrients and is best when you soak it up with some corn bread. Hell I drink it right from the bowl when I am done eating the Collards but then again I am a heathen and don’t have a damn to give.
Try some Collards, get healthy, feel good, and thank me later.
- 2 Bunches of Collard Greens
- ½ Pound Bacon (6-8 slices)
- 1 Yellow Onion chopped
- 1 Quart of Chicken Stock
- 2 Cups of Water
- 1 Tablespoon crushed Red Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons of Vinegar
- Rinse all sand from Collard Leaves
- Rip all the green leaf from the stems discard stems
- Chop the green leafy parts of the Collards set aside
- Chop uncooked Bacon
- In large pot cook Bacon over medium heat 3-5 minutes until soft and starting to render
- Add chopped Onion to cooking Bacon and fat stir and cook until translucent
- Add Chicken Stock
- Add Water
- Add chopped clean Collard Greens (add in batches greens will wilt down fast)
- Add crushed Red Pepper flakes
- Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for an hour and half or two hours
- Add Vinegar stir serve.
