Southern-Style Collard Greens

Steps

1. Swish the collard leaves in a sink full of cold water, then lift them out so the grit stays behind. Repeat until no grit settles.
2. Strip the leaves off the thick center stems. Stack several leaves, roll them up and cut across into 1-inch ribbons.
3. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft.
   ⏱ Soften onion: 6 min
4. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant.
   ⏱ Garlic: 1 min
5. Add the broth, water and ham hock and bring to a

   boil (how to boil)

   Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   . Cover, lower the heat and

   simmer (how to simmer)

   Simmer Cook liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. 1. Bring the liquid up over medium-high heat.2. As soon as bubbles rise steadily, turn the heat down.3. Adjust until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two.4. Stir now and then and check that it hasn't crept back to a boil. Done when: You see lazy, small bubbles, not a rolling boil. A "bare" simmer has just a bubble here and there. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to simmer: mistakes to avoid

   to build a smoky broth.
   ⏱ Simmer hock: 30 min
6. Add the collards a few handfuls at a time, stirring each batch down as it wilts.
   ⏱ Wilt greens: 5 min
7. Partly cover and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the greens are silky and tender.
   ⏱ Simmer greens: 1 hr
8. Lift out the ham hock. When it's cool enough to handle, pull off the meat,

   chop (how to chop)

   Chop Cut food into bite-size pieces that don't have to match exactly. 1. Cut a flat side on round food and lay it on that side so it can't roll.2. Slice the food into strips about as wide as the pieces you want.3. Turn the strips and cut across them.4. Rock the knife over any big pieces until they are about the same size. Done when: The pieces are close enough in size to cook in the same time, about ½ inch unless the recipe says otherwise. Safety: Keep the fingertips of your guiding hand curled under, knuckles toward the blade, and set the board on a damp towel so it can't slide.How to chop vegetables and herbs: mistakes to avoid

   it and stir it back in; throw away the skin, fat and bone.
9. Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar and pepper, then taste and add salt as needed. The hock is salty, so taste first.
10. Serve the greens with some of their broth and pass hot sauce at the table.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

• No pork? Use a smoked turkey wing or drumstick the same way. For vegetarian greens, skip the meat, use vegetable broth and add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika with the garlic.
• Black-eyed peas, greens and cornbread stand for coins, money and gold on New Year's Day in many Southern homes.

Storage

Refrigerate in their broth within 2 hours, up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. Reheat until steaming hot (165°F).

Make ahead

Collards taste even better the next day. Make them up to 2 days ahead, cool and refrigerate in their broth, then reheat covered over medium-low heat until steaming.

Cook once, eat twice: Double it (16 servings instead of 8), eat half and freeze the other half. It keeps 3 months frozen, by the storage note above. Print a freezer label · More freezer meals

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: collard greens (November to March).