Collard Greens
Updated December 7, 2022
Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
- Total Time
- About 2½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
3 pounds collard greens (from about 6 medium bunches), or 2 pounds pre-chopped collard greens
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia, Spanish or yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
Pinch of kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 pound smoked turkey (any combination of necks, legs, butt or wings) or pork neck bones
2 (½-inch) chicken bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Granulated sugar, to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
22 grams carbs; 55 milligrams cholesterol; 262 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 530 milligrams sodium; 24 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Tear the greens from their stems. Take a handful of greens, roll them up lengthwise and slice them into bite-size pieces. Add the sliced greens to an empty, clean sink full of cool water and wash them, removing all grit, sand and debris. Drain sink and rinse greens thoroughly with cold water until water becomes clear.
- Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Add 4 cups of water to the pot. (This will become your potlikker.) Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the cleaned greens by the handful, stirring them until wilted before adding more.
- Step 4
Add the smoked turkey, bouillon cubes, garlic and onion powders, apple cider vinegar, black pepper and red-pepper flakes to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover and lower heat to medium-low. Cook until greens are completely tender, at least 2 hours. Most of the water should have evaporated by this point, with just enough left to cover the bottom of the pot, and the meat should pull away from the bones.
- Step 5
Take the meat out of the pot, transfer to a cutting board, and shred the meat with two forks. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and onion powder as needed. To cut bitterness, add sugar; if you’d like more tang, add more vinegar. Serve hot.
Private Notes
Comments
My Southern mama taught me to make a richer broth full of collagen--best pot likker--that gels when it's put in the refrigerator overnight. Put your smoked turkey legs, necks, or wings--your ham hocks or pork shanks, even a good chunk of smoked bacon like from Coursey's in Arkansas--into the water before you do anything else. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer. For hours. Until the bones are almost falling apart. Then continue on with the recipe. P.S. I throw a little seaweed in. Mama didn't.
This is very similar to what we served at the Empire Diner when I ran that kitchen. We used paper-thin slices of garlic in place of powdered, and chicken demi glace in place of Bouillon cubes. It is a soul satisfying meal. I can appreciate Barbara's feelings on cornbread, but as a son of Puerto Rican and Chinese parents, I much prefer rice as my starch for greens. My Asian & Latino kitchen staff agreed, and it was always an eagerly anticipated "Family Meal".
Two things you will never hear a Southern lady say - (1) Your hair is too big and (2) Your greens are too done. Southerners like their greens too done and Collards wouldn’t be good unless they were. Btw, there is no reason not to use the stems, they give a better texture to the pot of greens.
I do not understand why people want to cook greens until they have no taste. Cut away the stems and cut the leaves bite-size, yes. But then cover them with a dash of olive oil in a plastic take-out container, cover it with plastic wrap, and nuke it for a few minutes. The weird smell of cooking greens will quickly go away, and the collards will be ready to add to today's helping of your bean stew. You get a less boring tasting meal, some vitamins... and it's quite "affordable".
The recipe says to keep the lid on for the two hours of f cooking, but checking in on the greens I saw the water was not cooking off. Maybe the lid on my Dutch oven too fitted? Anyway, about to eat these babies! Happy New Year!
Made as directed, Added 2 diced rutabagas. Delicious!