SOUTHERN GREENS

Southern Greens image

How one cooks greens says much about where and how a Southerner grew up. Seasoning, length of cooking time and how to tenderize older greens are often points of debate. Here, the Yankee food writer Amanda Hesser traveled to Georgia and brought back a version that combines the bite of mustard greens with the vegetal heartiness of collards and gives them both depth with ham hocks. Her trick for melding the flavors is a bit of sugar, which is a nice

Provided by The New York Times

Time 3h15m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

Ingredients

Salt
2 pounds turnip greens, stems removed
2 pounds mustard greens, stems removed
2 to 3 pounds smoked ham hocks
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons sugar

Steps:

In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water to a full boil. Season lightly with salt. Gradually add greens in batches, allowing each batch to wilt before adding the next. Add ham hocks, shortening and sugar, and stir well.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot partway, and cook at a lively simmer for 3 hours. Stir occasionally. By the end of cooking, there should be little liquid left in pot. Add salt to taste. Remove ham hocks. Pick out ham, and return to pot; discard bones. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 486, UnsaturatedFat 14 grams, Carbohydrate 25 grams, Fat 24 grams, Fiber 10 grams, Protein 47 grams, SaturatedFat 7 grams, Sodium 1633 milligrams, Sugar 10 grams, TransFat 1 gram