← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 3 bunches collard greens (about 1.2 kg)
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
• ½ tsp Chilli flakes
• 1 smoked ham hock (or 4 rashers smoked bacon)
• 750 ml chicken stock
• 3 tbsp Cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Sugar
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• hot sauce, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Strip the collard leaves from their tough stems, wash them well in several changes of water, then stack, roll and slice them into 2 cm ribbons.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion for 6 min, until soft. Add the garlic and chilli flakes for 1 minute.
3. Add the ham hock and stock, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 30 min so the hock flavours the broth.
4. Add the greens a few handfuls at a time, stirring as they wilt. Stir in the vinegar and sugar, cover and simmer gently for 45–60 min, stirring now and then, until very tender.
5. Lift out the hock, shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and serve the greens with some of their broth and hot sauce on the side.

Tips

• Grit hides in collards, so lift the leaves out of the washing water rather than pouring it off over them.
• For a vegetarian pot, skip the hock, use vegetable stock and add 1 tsp smoked paprika.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Bon Appétit