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Southern-Style Greens

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Southern-Style Greens

Cuisine:Southern

Course:Side Dish

20m prep 1h cook 1h ready

8 servings A classic treatment for mature turnip and collard greens, though any green—tender or tough—is excellent cooked in a rich ham stock. In the South, some cooks like to add resilient greens with the cured pork and simmer for an hour or more. Here we recommend cooking the cured meat until tender first.

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Ingredients

Servings:
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Units:
As Written US Metric
  • 6 cups water
  • 5 ounces salt pork or bacon, diced, or 1 pound smoked ham hocks or pork neck bones
  • (1 small onion, chopped, or a few garlic cloves, smashed)
  • 3 pounds sturdy greens, especially collard and turnip greens, but also kale or mustard greens, or a combination
  • (1 small dried red chile, seeds removed, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes)
  • 1
    • 4 cups shelled fresh cranberry or borlotti beans (about 2½ pounds in the pod)
    • 8 ounces ham or 4 ounces country ham, cut into small chunks
    • Salt
    • Southern-Style Greens
    Sub-recipe steps
    1. Combine in a large saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch: 4 cups shelled fresh cranberry or borlotti beans (about 2½ pounds in the pod); 8 ounces ham or 4 ounces country ham, cut into small chunks
    2. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer slowly until the beans are very tender and creamy and the liquid has transformed into a thick bean “gravy.” The time will vary depending on the beans, but start checking them at 30 minutes. Season to taste with: Salt
    3. Serve with: Southern Corn Bread; Southern-Style Greens
  • 1
    • 1 ¾ cups (280g) fine cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
    • (1 tablespoon [10g] sugar)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cups (365g) buttermilk
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 tablespoon bacon fat, lard, oil, or vegetable shortening
    • Butter
    Sub-recipe steps
    1. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl: 1 ¾ cups (280g) fine cornmeal, preferably stone-ground; (1 tablespoon [10g] sugar); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt
    2. Whisk together in another bowl: 1 ½ cups (365g) buttermilk; 2 large eggs
    3. Add the buttermilk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and whisk just until blended. Take the skillet out of the oven and add to it: 1 tablespoon bacon fat, lard, oil, or vegetable shortening
    4. Swirl to coat the skillet with the fat and pour in the batter all at once. Bake until the top is browned and the center feels firm when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately from the skillet, cut into wedges or squares, along with: Butter
    5. Leftovers, though dry, are nice enough if wrapped in foil and rewarmed in a low oven. Megan likes to crumble leftover corn bread into a tall glass and pour buttermilk over it. Think of it as Southern breakfast cereal.
  • Vinegar or hot pepper sauce

Let's Cook

  1. Step 1.

    Combine in a large pot and bring to a boil: 6 cups water; 5 ounces salt pork or bacon, diced, or 1 pound smoked ham hocks or pork neck bones; (1 small onion, chopped, or a few garlic cloves, smashed)

  2. Step 2.

    Reduce the heat slightly, partially cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Wash well: 3 pounds sturdy greens, especially collard and turnip greens, but also kale or mustard greens, or a combination

  3. Step 3.

    If necessary, remove the midribs, above, then tear or coarsely chop. Add to the pot along with, if desired: (1 small dried red chile, seeds removed, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes)

  4. Step 4.

    Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer just until the greens are tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the type, stirring occasionally. Transfer the greens to a bowl for serving; remove any ham hocks from the pot and shred the meat off the bone. Add the meat to the greens and ladle some of the pot liquor onto them. Serve with: (Wanda’s Stewed Cranberry Beans); (Southern Corn Bread); Vinegar or hot pepper sauce

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