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Collard Greens
(mess o' greens)
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How To Cook Collard Greens
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But I have never tasted meat, nor cabbage, nor corn, nor beans, nor fluid food on half as sweet as that first mess of greens.
James T. Cotton Now (1869-1953),
American writer and poet, from the Loom of Life.
Collard Greens Recipe This is a family recipe from my friend, Andra Cook of Raleigh, North Carolina. Andra says, "It is difficult to measure weight and size for each serving. My mother-in-law, Belle Cook, says she buys a grocery bag full and can serve four with that. Collard greens are available eight months out of the year in the South. I don't include June through September because the greens are much better after they have a 'good hard frost.' That's not to say you can't get them in the other months (June-September), but the taste is much better after the frost."
Collard greens (whole collard heads or leaves) Wash greens thoroughly, approximately 3 or 4 times to ensure they are clean and free of insects. Remove large stems. Place ham hocks in an extra-large pot with enough water to completely cover them. Add salt and cook ham hocks at least 30 minutes before adding collards greens. Add collards, big leaves first (let them start boiling), then add remainder of greens. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once about midway to ensure thorough cooking. Test for tenderness of stems at 45 minutes by piercing with a sharp knife. Cook additional time if necessary. Remove from heat and drain in a colander, reserving the juice (pot likker). Chop collards with a collard chopper or a knife, leaving no large leaves or pieces. Add some of the pot likker if the greens are too dry. Salt to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature with your choice of toppings. Topping Ideas:
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Collard greens date back to prehistoric times, and are one of the oldest members of the cabbage family. The ancient Greeks grew kale and collards, although they made no distinction between them. Well before the Christian era, the Romans grew several kinds including those with large leaves and stalks and a mild flavor; broad-leaved forms like collards; and others with curled leaves. The Romans may have taken the coles to Britain and France or the Celts may have introduced them to these countries. They reached into the British Isles in the 4th century B.C. According to the book, The Backcountry Housewife - A Study of Eighteenth-Century Foods, by Kay Moss and Kathryn Hoffman:
Collard greens have been cooked and used for centuries. The Southern style of cooking of greens came with the arrival of African slaves to the southern colonies and the need to satisfy their hunger and provide food for their families. Though greens did not originate in Africa, the habit of eating greens that have been cooked down into a low gravy, and drinking the juices from the greens (known as "pot likker") is of African origin. The slaves of the plantations were given the leftover food from the plantation kitchen. Some of this food consisted of the tops of turnips and other greens. Ham hocks and pig's feet were also given to the slaves. Forced to create meals from these leftovers, they created the famous southern greens. The slave diet began to evolve and spread when slaves entered the plantation houses as cooks. Their African dishes, using the foods available in the region they lived in, began to evolve into present-day Southern cooking .
Southerners love their greens. A time-honored
tradition in southern kitchens, greens have held an important place on the
table for well over a century, and there is no other vegetable that is quite
so unique to the region. Greens are any sort of cabbage in which the green
leaves do not form a compact head. They are mostly kale, collards, turnip,
spinach, and mustard greens.
In the
Southern states, a large quantity of greens to serve a family is commonly
referred to as a "mess o' greens." The exact quantity that constitutes a
"mess" varies with the size of the family. The traditional way to cook greens is to boil or simmer slowly with a piece of salt pork or ham hock for a long time (this tempers their tough texture and smoothes out their bitter flavor) until they are very soft. Typically, greens are served with freshly baked corn bread to dip into the pot-likker. Pot likker is the highly concentrated, vitamin-filled broth that results from the long boil of the greens. It is, in other words, the "liquor" left in the pot.
In spite of what some
consider their unpleasant smell, reaction to the smell of cooking
greens separates true southern eaters from wannabes. According to folklore, collards served with black-eyed peas and hog jowl on New Year's Day promises a year of good luck and financial reward, hanging a fresh leaf over your door will ward off evil spirits, and a fresh leaf placed on the forehead promises to cure a headache.
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