Collard Cuisine

[pal]

When it comes to you fellow southerners, I know I am just "preachin' to the choir" but Collard Greens are one of the best tasting foods on earth. Not only that, they are very good for you. They are said to support the liver in detoxifying functions among other benefits. But who cares about that, they are just delicious. Here is how we fix them:

2 quarts of water
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic power
1 tablespoon of salt
1 nice size of fat-back bacon (hog jowl)

In a large pot, bring the water, salt, pepper, garlic power and fatback to a boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes. While the water is simmering tear the Collard leaves from the stems (stalks) and roll them up and cut them in about 1/2 in threads.

Add the collard greens to the water, bring to boil and simmer for another 40 minutes. That's it! Remember the first part of the recipe is so important, this is where the black pepper and the salt, the garlic and the jowl release their flavors into the water and that is the secret to good collard greens.

I was just wondering are there other Collard Greens fans on the forum? If so, what is your recipe?

[Jim]

Love the greens, thanks for the recipe Rich!

[Groundhog]

My mother-in-law boils them twice, 1st time for about 45 minutes, then drains them, then a 2nd time with the seasonings added for a couple of hours. The potlikker has no bitterness due to the 1st boiling and discarding the water. Collards, black-eyed peas, fried streak o' lean, and cornbread are a New Year's Day tradition for me and mine.

[Confuzius]

Never had them, but I'm curious. Anything cooked with cured pork can't be bad.

[Crazy Dave]

I use ham to cut down on the fat. I never tried garlic powder. I wll give that or maybe a few cloves of garlic a try. I add the pepper in the last 15 min. so it does not turn bitter and sometimes add red pepper too.

The most important thing is making way too much and then you can have collard green sandwiches the next day. Drain and press the collard greens, spread mayonnaise on a slice of bread, put a very thick layer of collard greens, add a little vinegar and top with the second slice of bread. I got this recipe from "White Trash Cooking".

Dave

[ouch]

I ain't preachin' to no chaior.

But I do love collard greens.

[tsmba]

I, too, love cooked greens. One could probably make most anything palatable with bacon grease and other smoked products. I've even seen smoked turkey parts swapped in to reduce fat.

[bamafan64]

As a self respecting Southerner, it pains me to admit that I can tolerate collards, but they're not something I go out of my way to get. I love turnip greens, though, especially cooked with a smoked ham hock and some cracklin' bread.

[_JP_]

Greens aren't just a southern thing, they are traditional throughout the whole Appalachia region. This reminds me of an encounter I had in West Virginia.

We were working our way up a mountain fly fishing a trout stream in the Monogahela region when we saw him. An old guy, long white hair, long uncut beard, with two large black trash bags that were obviously full. One was slung over his shoulder and the other was simply in hand. The seven of us in the group weren't sure what to make of him as he came down the stream towards us, and we weren't armed at all. The best defense we could put up was to sword fight with our fly rods.

For a moment it sounded like the stream was playing that Deliverance tune.

Turned out he was a friendly feller (naturally, for that area) and the bags were full of greens that he was harvesting. Lived in a shack a few hundred yards from where we had parked. He had already spent half the day gathering them but still offered us some. We passed, we simply didn't want to carry them four miles back to road.

[pal]

Greens aren't just a southern thing, they are traditional throughout the whole Appalachia region. This reminds me of an encounter I had in West Virginia.

We were working our way up a mountain fly fishing a trout stream in the Monogahela region when we saw him. An old guy, long white hair, long uncut beard, with two large black trash bags that were obviously full. One was slung over his shoulder and the other was simply in hand. The seven of us in the group weren't sure what to make of him as he came down the stream towards us, and we weren't armed at all. The best defense we could put up was to sword fight with our fly rods.

For a moment it sounded like the stream was playing that Deliverance tune.

Turned out he was a friendly feller (naturally, for that area) and the bags were full of greens that he was harvesting. Lived in a shack a few hundred yards from where we had parked. He had already spent half the day gathering them but still offered us some. We passed, we simply didn't want to carry them four miles back to road.

I bet the old fellow was picking Polk Salad Greens. I used to collect them with my father when I was young. They remind me of spinach.

As far as Collards not just being a southern thing, you are right. I read somewhere that Julius Caesar use to eat Collards the day after a big banquet to help him recover from all that over eating and over drinking.

And it is amazing the number of mountain folk who migrated to Ohio and Michigan looking for work over the years. I live on the Ohio River and I can tell you there are just as many hicks in Southern Ohio as there are in Northern Kentucky. Hey, we are all cousins.:lol: And we all love Collard Greens!

[pmast]

I always use smoked hocks as you get a lot of body and flavor with very little fat. Just put about four of them in a large pot with just enough water to cover and simmer for about three hours or until they pretty much fall apart. Fill the pot with washed and stemmed collards to the top and cram the lid down. The collards will cook down and soften over about 40 minutes to an hour. Sprinkle with pepper vinegar if you like and be sure to make your cornbread in a cast iron skillet greased with bacon fat.

[Shane]

If you pick greens, do so after a frost. They're sweeter. Cooked with hamhocks, streak-o'-lean or fatback, they're great. Smoked turkey wings will do but nothing beats pork. Serve with vinegar and/or hot sauce.

[Mr. Clean]

Loves me some greens...collard, mustard, turnip. I don't discriminate. :smile:


I bet the old fellow was picking Polk Salad Greens. I used to collect them with my father when I was young. They remind me of spinach.

...

We call that poke sallet or poke weed or just plain poke. It can be a bit dicey to prepare properly. I have a several of poke "volunteers" in my back and side yards.

Anyone remember the Tony Joe White song Poke Salad Annie?
Down there we have a plant
That grows out in the woods and the fields,
Looks somethin' like a turnip green.
Everybody calls it Poke salad. Poke salad.
Used to know a girl that lived down there and
she'd go out in the evenings and pick a mess of it...
Carry it home and cook it for supper,
'Cause that's about all they had to eat,
But they did all right

[Sluggo]

I love collards! I like the recipe that you list but I add a handful of red pepper flakes for a little spice!!

[Brodirt]

I love collards! I like the recipe that you list but I add a handful of red pepper flakes for a little spice!!

Even being a dyed in the wool NYer I love the collard greens! I also agree with the red pepper flakes. I like to make them saute and then braise. Bacon fried, or fat back, in a pan saute the greens in the bacon fat until they get real bright green and then braise in stock or water until cooked. Drain 'em and toss in the red pepper flakes and maybe a bit of vinegar (I like malt vinegar for this) and your done.

[Dubbya]

When it comes to you fellow southerners, I know I am just "preachin' to the choir" but Collard Greens are one of the best tasting foods on earth. Not only that, they are very good for you. They are said to support the liver in detoxifying functions among other benefits. But who cares about that, they are just delicious. Here is how we fix them:

2 quarts of water
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic power
1 tablespoon of salt
1 nice size of fat-back bacon (hog jowl)

In a large pot, bring the water, salt, pepper, garlic power and fatback to a boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes. While the water is simmering tear the Collard leaves from the stems (stalks) and roll them up and cut them in about 1/2 in threads.

Add the collard greens to the water, bring to boil and simmer for another 40 minutes. That's it! Remember the first part of the recipe is so important, this is where the black pepper and the salt, the garlic and the jowl release there flavors into the water and that is the secret to good collard greens.

I was just wondering are there other Collard Greens fans on the forum? If so, what is your recipe?

Great recipe. One suggestion though. Ditch the salt and jowl and, before you guys begin throwing rocks, use salted streak o' lean. It's just awesome.

[Maduro]

I love all kinds of greens. It's a rare trip through Atlanta airport that I don't stop at Paschal's for some Southern food that always includes a side of collards.

[soapbox]

Collards, turnip greens, and mustard greens... sign me up! I had some pretty passable collards at lunch today, but they were a little bit bitter and clearly not cooked with fatback/pork/bacon/etc.

[thunderball]

Never had 'em but they sound mighty tasty! (and healthy). :biggrin: Is it similar to kale or spinach?

[thirdeye]

Thanks Rich, I'm gonna cook up a batch tomorrow with some steaks on the barbie....um um good....


When it comes to you fellow southerners, I know I am just "preachin' to the choir" but Collard Greens are one of the best tasting foods on earth. Not only that, they are very good for you. They are said to support the liver in detoxifying functions among other benefits. But who cares about that, they are just delicious. Here is how we fix them:

2 quarts of water
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic power
1 tablespoon of salt
1 nice size of fat-back bacon (hog jowl)

In a large pot, bring the water, salt, pepper, garlic power and fatback to a boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes. While the water is simmering tear the Collard leaves from the stems (stalks) and roll them up and cut them in about 1/2 in threads.

Add the collard greens to the water, bring to boil and simmer for another 40 minutes. That's it! Remember the first part of the recipe is so important, this is where the black pepper and the salt, the garlic and the jowl release their flavors into the water and that is the secret to good collard greens.

I was just wondering are there other Collard Greens fans on the forum? If so, what is your recipe?

[pal]

Great recipe. One suggestion though. Ditch the salt and jowl and, before you guys begin throwing rocks, use salted streak o' lean. It's just awesome.
I have never had streak o' lean but coming from a North Carolina boy (who would definitely know his collards), I will take your word and try it the next time.


Never had 'em but they sound mighty tasty! (and healthy). :biggrin: Is it similar to kale or spinach?
A lot like spinach except it has a thicker texture.


Thanks Rich, I'm gonna cook up a batch tomorrow with some steaks on the barbie....um um good....
Sounds like a winner Ray!

[Bluestaco]

Loves me some collards!
Great recipe; that's how it's done. I throw in a ham hock instead when I can get a good one.
You left out the part that comes next, though: HOT SAUCE!!!:w00t:

[_JP_]

I bet the old fellow was picking Polk Salad Greens. I used to collect them with my father when I was young. They remind me of spinach.


I don't remember what type they were, but he did say they were a mix.

And it is amazing the number of mountain folk who migrated to Ohio and Michigan looking for work over the years. I live on the Ohio River and I can tell you there are just as many hicks in Southern Ohio as there are in Northern Kentucky. Hey, we are all cousins.:lol: And we all love Collard Greens![/quote]

My clan migrated across the Ohio river from Virginia. Now that might impossible, but that was back before there was a West Virginia. Hill country it is on both sides, full of hill folk.

[tg16]

Yes indeed. Got to add the hot sauce and serve with cornbread.

[pal]

Loves me some collards!
Great recipe; that's how it's done. I throw in a ham hock instead when I can get a good one.
You left out the part that comes next, though: HOT SAUCE!!!:w00t:
Now we are talking with a serious Collard lover. You are right, I love the hot sauce too. But the women folk don't appreciate it as much as I do so we add the hot sauce after the greens are served.

I don't remember what type they were, but he did say they were a mix.

And it is amazing the number of mountain folk who migrated to Ohio and Michigan looking for work over the years. I live on the Ohio River and I can tell you there are just as many hicks in Southern Ohio as there are in Northern Kentucky. Hey, we are all cousins.:lol: And we all love Collard Greens!

My clan migrated across the Ohio river from Virginia. Now that might be impossible, but that was back before there was a West Virginia. Hill country it is on both sides, full of hill folk.[/QUOTE]

Amen to that, Jon.


Yes indeed. Got to add the hot sauce and serve with cornbread.

Right on target!

[ratcheer]

+1

Another collards lover, here. I always eat them with green pepper vinegar sauce.

Tim

[Mr. Clean]

Now we are talking with a serious Collard lover. You are right, I love the hot sauce too. But the women folk don't appreciate it as much as I do so we add the hot sauce after the greens are served.

That would be the tastier way IMO. :biggrin:


+1

Another collards lover, here. I always eat them with green pepper vinegar sauce.

Tim

My Wife's favorite condiment for greens.

Rather than red pepper flakes, we pefer jalapeno peppers. You can either cook them fresh with the greens or, I like to add them pickled and sliced afterwards. Did I mention I like my greens a bit spicy? :biggrin:

Thunderball/Pal - I would add that I prefer the taste of greens (collard, mustard, turnip) to spinach which I now mainly eat in salads.

[arghblech]

As a self respecting Southerner, it pains me to admit that I can tolerate collards, but they're not something I go out of my way to get. I love turnip greens, though, especially cooked with a smoked ham hock and some cracklin' bread.

The ham hock is superior because of the wonderful thickness it adds to the pot liquor.

[soapbox]

Now we are talking with a serious Collard lover. You are right, I love the hot sauce too. But the women folk don't appreciate it as much as I do so we add the hot sauce after the greens are served.

When you say hot sauce do you mean "a Tabasco-type sauce" or "pepper sauce", which is mostly vinegar soaking in hot green peppers"? I prefer the latter on my greens, the former on my black-eyed peas (though see another recent thread on "hot chow chow" which is really best on black-eyed peas and cornbread).

[pal]

When you say hot sauce do you mean "a Tabasco-type sauce" or "pepper sauce", which is mostly vinegar soaking in hot green peppers"? I prefer the latter on my greens, the former on my black-eyed peas (though see another recent thread on "hot chow chow" which is really best on black-eyed peas and cornbread).

Yes, I prefer the latter as well but I am not above using Tabasco or Texas Pete either. Tabasco is best on eggs, IMHO.:lol: Chow Chow is a great condiment for everything from hot dogs to Porterhouse steaks. Good Stuff!

[FlatFork]

Greens and lots of pot liquor on the cornbread

[Dubbya]

Never had 'em but they sound mighty tasty! (and healthy). :biggrin: Is it similar to kale or spinach?

Sort of like kale, but but slightly more salty, when cooked how I like them.

Dandelion greens, by the way, are very close to spinach in flavor.

[Dubbya]

I have never had streak o' lean but coming from a North Carolina boy (who would definitely know his collards), I will take your word and try it the next time.


When they cut bacon, there's a part left over because it has too much fat to cook properly in a frying pan. That's streak o' lean. It doesn't fry well but man does it do a good job of flavoring soups and vegetables.:drool:

[StillShaving]

I am a boring/lazy cook. I just simmer them in about a teaspoon of salt and tablespoon of olive oil for about 45 minutes to an hour, to the point where they are tender. IMO collards are not as good as mustard greens or turnips, but they stay in season longer and are still quite tasty. I will try some hot pepper next time.

[ratcheer]

I am a boring/lazy cook. I just simmer them in about a teaspoon of salt and tablespoon of olive oil for about 45 minutes to an hour, to the point where they are tender. IMO collards are not as good as mustard greens or turnips, but they stay in season longer and are still quite tasty. I will try some hot pepper next time.

I used to eat at a cafeteria that served "mixed greens" - collard, turnip, and mustard. They were wonderful!

Tim

[DS/B MCS]

When you say hot sauce do you mean "a Tabasco-type sauce" or "pepper sauce", which is mostly vinegar soaking in hot green peppers"? I prefer the latter on my greens, the former on my black-eyed peas (though see another recent thread on "hot chow chow" which is really best on black-eyed peas and cornbread).

Tabasco sauce and Crushed Red Pepper flakes in the pot, and Pepper Vinegar when they hit the plate.

[elalan]

Go with a ham shank and you will never go back to a hock again. Of course that is if you dig the meat out and leave it in the greens. I use dried whole cayenne peppers for spice. One thing that you can try that hasn't been suggested yet is putting the shank in the pot, cover it with water and then bring it to a boil. Drain that water off and add just enough to get the greens wilting and then simmer for a few hours. It seems to cut the saltiness that you sometimes get with salted and/or smoked pork products. Many a batch o' greens has been ruined because people underestimate how much salt is in the shank or hock or jowl or what have you and they add too much at the end.

[The Knize]

Just to weigh in, I love greens of all sorts, too. One could get into definitional issues: collard, turnip. mustard, beet (had not seen beet greens mentioned in this thread, but certainly ate them growing up), and, I guess dandelion, all clearly "greens," athough as mentioned above, dandelion greens are pretty delicate, and I guess we are excluding spinach from "greens" because it is delicate. To me kale and swiss chard are pretty close to collards. Arugula not so far off either, although not usually cooked down so much.

My Mother was from the far Western part of North Carolina, a few miles north of the Georgia border, really in the hills. But she would pick "poke" in the woods around our house in Falls Church, Va. I think she would have considered "poke" something rather different than "greens."

As for cooking up greens with fat back or a ham hock, that is the way she did green beans too, sometimes, and that is the way they would have done it "at home." Very flavorful stuff that I hated as a kid, but thinking about them now, strongly crave. (My Mom was a pretty good and wide ranging cook. She would cook green beans as Julia Child would as well.)

Interestingly, initially, my parents (my Dad was from the Front Royal area of Virginia and I would say that greens and this treatment of vegetables in general fit right in with what he was used to growing up, too) put plain cider vinegar on greens of all kinds, with no peppers or hot sauce, and no vinegar or anything spicy on beans. But at some point, for some reason, I really do not know whether it was someone from "home" that turned them onto it or what, they started growing hot peppers, and putting chopped up raw hot peppers in beans and steeped raw hot pepper in vinegar for greens. I am talking very firey stuff. I really do not think that hot sauce or hot peppers was anything that either of my parents had grown up with. I do not think of hot peppers as being a "mountain cuisine" thing, but more a Lousiana, maybe coastal NS, thing. I could be wrong. But they sure took to those peppers as if they had.

And the corn bread was authentic. You had to put it in something like pot liquor to moisten it enough to get it down, in my view. Flavorful stuff though, and not a bit sweet.

Anyone have "wilted lettuce" as a part of Southern food growing up? We ate wilted lettuce all the time in certain seasons. (A hot bacon fat, vinegar, and sweetner, poured over fresh spring leaf lettuce.) I did not realize until years later that that is apparently a very mountains of NC. W Va, Va, etc. dish.

[ratcheer]

I always called it "poke salad", which is what I thought I was hearing when I was a small child. I looked it up once, and the actual term is "poke salat". I never liked it.

Tim

[arghblech]

Go with a ham shank and you will never go back to a hock again.

The hock has more connective tissue which, with slow cooking, makes a more velvety pot liquor. Tastes great too!

[Koss]

So many phrases, terms, and words being thrown around in here that I have never heard of! :biggrin:

[The Knize]

I always called it "poke salad", which is what I thought I was hearing when I was a small child. I looked it up once, and the actual term is "poke salat". I never liked it.

Tim

I actually never heard it referred to as "poke salad," "polk salat," etc. by anyone when I was growing up. Just "poke," or "polk." Note the 1969 song "Polk Salad Annie" spelled it that way.

Pretty mild stuff. What is not to like? All it is is young Poke Weed or Inkberry Bush. Poisonous if not handled properly. A bit like fiddleheads, as I recall. You do not want to be eating any mature plants!

[pal]

Anyone have "wilted lettuce" as a part of Southern food growing up? We ate wilted lettuce all the time in certain seasons. (A hot bacon fat, vinegar, and sweetner, poured over fresh spring leaf lettuce.) I did not realize until years later that that is apparently a very mountains of NC. W Va, Va, etc. dish.

Wilted lettuce is a staple here where I live as well. I have eaten it all my life as well as Creasy Greens and Ramps. All Appalachian delicacies that most folk have never heard of.

[The Knize]

Wilted lettuce is a staple here where I live as well. I have eaten it all my life as well as Creasy Greens and Ramps. All Appalachian delicacies that most folk have never heard of.

Thanks coming in. I have not heard of Creasy Greens. What are they? Ramps I have not heard of since visting family in NC 50 years agos. I do not think I have every had a ramp. Something of a legendary item.

As I recall, wilted lettuce is also a high French dish. Fits for me. I would consider it a real delicacy. Requires pristinely fresh lettuce and must be eaten immediately. Really brings out the essence of the lettuce. A long darn way from long cooked beans and greens, too.

Be interesting as to how it became an Appalachian staple, but seems to be relatively unknown in most of the country.

[pal]

Thanks coming in. I have not heard of Creasy Greens. What are they? Ramps I have not heard of since visting family in NC 50 years agos. I do not think I have every had a ramp. Something of a legendary item.

As I recall, wilted lettuce is also a high French dish. Fits for me. I would consider it a real delicacy. Requires pristinely fresh lettuce and must be eaten immediately. Really brings out the essence of the lettuce. A long darn way from long cooked beans and greens, too.

Be interesting as to how it became an Appalachian staple, but seems to be relatively unknown in most of the country.

Yes I think it would be interesting to see how wilted lettuce became an Appalachian staple. It probably was born out of necessity. Like Creasy Greens, they are harvested first in early spring and as far as I know, as wonderful as they taste, they are not commercially grown anywhere. Tennessee is where the creasy greens really flourish. As far as Ramps are concerned they are like a wild leek and they are so loved in the mountains that each year there are Ramp Festivals everywhere.

[The Knize]

Yes I think it would be interesting to see how wilted lettuce became an Appalachian staple. It probably was born out of necessity. Like Creasy Greens, they are harvested first in early spring and as far as I know, as wonderful as they taste, they are not commercially grown anywhere. Tennessee is where the creasy greens really flourish. As far as Ramps are concerned they are like a wild leek and they are so loved in the mountains that each year there are Ramp Festivals everywhere.

I just googled "wilted lettuce." Seems to show up as mostly Applachian, but the Pennsylvania Dutch and even New England seem to lay a claim to it. Although New England seems to lump it it with wilted spinach, which I never ate growing up and I do not think my Mother would have thought of doing.

Creasy green sound great. Those would be ramps, alright.

[_JP_]

As far as Ramps are concerned they are like a wild leek and they are so loved in the mountains that each year there are Ramp Festivals everywhere.

I first encountered ramps (which I like!) on a fishing trip in West Virginia. The results were a gastronomic delight with after effects that were... very noticeable. Let me put it this way. The other guys on the fishing trip insisted that I immediately put on my waders after a lunch of venison chili with some freshly chopped ramps that we found near the road. They found out real quick that it was not safe to be downwind of me.

The skunks were envious of my capabilities.

[senorsignor]

My father retired to the hills of WV and introduced me to ramps. good stuff!
Also, on the greens topic, I've recently discovered Swiss Chard. I like the Chard just sauteed/wilted in some olive oil and water, salt and pepper. vinegar would be good or maybe tabasco.

[Bluestaco]

I first (and last) ate ramps at a meal before a gig (harmonica) in West Virginia. That was in '03 or '04, and even a skilled team of exorcists, voodoo witch doctors, and disaster cleanup experts can't get that ramp demon out of my harp case.

[Dubbya]

Yes I think it would be interesting to see how wilted lettuce became an Appalachian staple. It probably was born out of necessity.

It probably came from the French fur trappers moving into the mountains hunting beaver pelts. When new cuisine is introduced to an area, and it's delicious, it sticks.