Ingredients: |
Ingredients: S M O K Y H A M HOCK B R O T H
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 dried red pepper
1 smoked ham hock
C O L L A R D G R E E N S
2 bunches (2 pounds) collard greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Smoky Ham Hock Broth
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Directions: |
Directions:TO M A K E T H E B R O T H
Put all the ingredients into a large saucepot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 to 1½ hours. Pour the broth through a strainer; reserve the red pepper pod and the ham hock but throw out the rest of what is left in the strainer. On a cutting board, remove the meat from the hock bone and return it to the pot. Slice the reserved pepper pod and return it to the strained broth. Keep the broth on a low simmer until you are ready to cook the collard greens.
NOTE: You can make the broth a day or two ahead and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it—just heat it up in a pot before cooking the collards.
TO M A K E T H E C O L L A R D G R E E N S
1. Wash the collard greens by soaking them in a sink filled with water, allowing any gritty sand or soil to sink to the bottom. Remove the thick stems from the leaves by holding each stem in one hand and pinching the leaf around the stem at the widest bottom part with your other hand. Pull the leaf and stem away
from each other in one sweeping move. Remove any large leafy parts that remain. In batches, stack a handful of the leaves and roll them up into a cigar shape. Then slice crossways with a large knife to create about 1⁄4-inch-wide ribbons. Place the ribbons in a bowl and set aside—do not spin or dry the leaves.
2. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a minute or two, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and salt and sauté for another minute. Put handfuls of the collard ribbons into the oil and onion mixture (you may have to do this in batches if your pot fills up—as the leaves cook, they will wilt to a much smaller size). Wilt the greens by turning them over with tongs or a large wooden spoon or spatula to sauté them slightly and coat them with the oil. Sprinkle with the sugar as you sauté the greens (this will cut down on any bitterness and not really add sweetness to the greens), and the black pepper, then cover the greens with the smoky ham broth, including the ham hock meat and the sliced red pepper pod. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Serve the collards with some of the “pot likker,” the nutrient-rich broth that remains after cooking. Serve with the pepper vinegar and the hot sauce, allowing diners to sprinkle on as much as they like. |
This recipe for Collard Greens Braised Collard Greens in Smoky Ham Hock Broth (Reese Witherspoon) is from