Annie & Skyler 
This is the time of year when gardening and eating with the seasons comes full circle. We started our brassicas plants for the 2023 FIO Garden a few weeks ago—collards, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels, and others. They’re \looking vibrant and ready for spring planting but the weather, on the other hand, is still very much hanging onto winter (hello, March snowstorm!). This has many of us craving slow-simmered comfort food, making it the perfect time for Southern-style collard greens. So, while we are tending to our baby collards for 2023, we can enjoy of our frozen 2022 collards. See, full circle!
Now if you didn’t freeze collard greens last year, not to worry—fresh collards are a choice cool-weather green in most markets. Look for ones with firm, fresh-looking leaves and a deep green color with no yellowing. Here’s how to prep them:
- Stem That tough center stem needs to be removed before using the collard greens. Here’s our go-to method: Holding the leaf loosely at the stem end, then slide your hand up the length of the leaf, tearing the tough center stem away from the leaf.
- Wash Depending on how dirty your greens are, give them 2 or 3 washes in cool water. You want to make sure any sand or grit doesn’t end up in your food.
- Chop Stack the leaves on a cutting board, then roll them up. Make one lengthwise cut down the roll, then cut it crosswise into 2-inch pieces.
Here we present to you our ultimate braised collard greens recipe. This is an ideal dish to cook during all the cool months, but it’s especially delicious now, when winter just won’t let go. The ham hock creates the most unctuous, soul-satisfying broth that is sure to chase off any lingering winter colds. And it simmers all day, perfuming your house with that divine bacon-esque aroma we all love (because hey, if you have to be inside all day, it might as well smell great!) The vegetal, pleasantly bitter flavor of the collards meshes beautifully with the smoky broth, creating a dish that will warm you inside and out.
Serve-Alongs These greens are great on their own, but it’s nice to have a carb to soak up all that glorious broth. Here are some options to keep in mind:
- Hot cooked rice
- Popovers or Yorkshire pudding
- Baguette or artisanal bread
- Beer bread
- Grits or polenta
- Baked or mashed potatoes
Freeze for Later Braised greens make excellent freezer food—perfect for sick days. Portion the greens and broth into freezer containers, leaving about ½-inch headspace at the top. Freeze up to 3 months. To cook, remove frozen block from container and place in a saucepan. Add a little water to the saucepan, then heat, covered, over medium-low heat until fully melted and mixture comes to a simmer.
Heavenly Braised Collards with Ham
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).
