Collard Greens

Method

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1. Wash the collards thoroughly in several changes of water, strip the leaves from the tough stems and stack and roll them. Slice into 2 cm ribbons.

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2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion 6 minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute.

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3. Add the stock, water, ham hock, sugar, pepper flakes and black pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes to flavour the broth.

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4. Add the collards in batches, stirring as they wilt, and return to a simmer.

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5. Cover and cook 45 to 50 minutes, until the leaves are silky and completely tender.

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6. Lift out the hock, shred the meat and return it to the pot.

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7. Stir in the vinegar, taste for salt and serve with plenty of the pot liquor.

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Chef’s Tips

• Wash the leaves well. Collards hold grit in their veins.
• Cook them until silky. Undercooked collards are tough and bitter.
• Serve the pot liquor with cornbread. It is half the point.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock makes this meat-free without changing the method, if that is what you need.

Pairing Suggestions

• Cornbread
• Fried chicken
• Black-eyed peas

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 5 days. They taste better the next day. Freeze with their liquid for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.