Heavenly Braised Collards with Ham
Serve these sumptuous collard greens over rice or with a big hunk of baguette. A sprinkle of crushed red pepper or a good squirt of hot sauce is the only embellishment they need.
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 qt. water
- 1 2-lb. ham hock (or use 2 smaller ones)
- 1 or 2 bay leaves
- 1 or 2 dried chiles
- 2 tsp. white vinegar
- 2 bunches collard greens, stemmed and chopped (about 10 cups), or 16 oz. frozen collard greens
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven combine water, ham hock, bay leaves, and the dried chile. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer for 6 to 8 hours or until ham hock is very tender (for convenience, you can do this in a 300°F oven).
- Remove ham hock; let cool until cool enough to handle then pick off meat and chop. Cover and chill ham until needed; return bone to broth.
- Remove bay leaf. Stir in collard greens, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and black pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 40 to 60 minutes or until collards are very tender. Stir in ham bits and hot sauce. If necessary, add salt and/or pepper to taste. Remove bone(s).