Southern Collard Greens

By Pattywak

Must try these. They are so nutricious.
Buy a bunch. They cook down like spinach does.

Here is a reviewers review of this recipe.
Okay, for all of you who don't know the right way to eat greens, listen up: FIRST, respectfully forget Brad's recipe above this one -- YOU DON'T PUT SUGAR IN COLLARD GREENS. I am from Georgia and I know. Turnip greens maybe, but not collards! SECOND, you MUST eat collard greens with chopped raw tomatoes and chopped raw onions sprinkled on top (plus pepper sauce if you like it, but if you don't know what this is, forget it, I'm not going into it. Well, okay, I'll try. Suffice it to say it's peppers stuffed into a bottle of white vinegar and left to sit either on a shelf (how the oldens did it) or in the fridge for a few months, then you sprinkle the juice on the greens -- but don't ask me what kind of peppers. I just know they're green, medium hot, and I know them when I see them). THIRD, if you don't want the fat of hamhock 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

Ingredients

• 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)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• splash of cider vinegar if desired and shake of hot pepper sauce.
• I don't think I will use the vegetable oil.

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

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 vegetable oil and simmer covered for 30 minutes.