Chads Collard Greens
Why I Love This Recipe
It took 3 times of various collard greens experiences before I found one that I like. This recipe comes from my cousin Rachel's husband and I'm so thankful. I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't like collards.
Ingredients You'll Need
4 - 6 bunches of collard greens
1 onion, diced
2 ham hocks
1 TB cooking oil
6 cups of water (more if needed)
1 cup dry white wine
2 TB hot sauce (or to taste)
1 TB soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
Directions
Wash and cut the collards. Now what that really means is.... you need to remove the central stem. Fold back the leaf (which will sorta snap a bit), exposing the stem...then gently tear the leaf away and toss the stem
I then washed the leaves (although if your collards are coming straight from the garden, you may want to wash them before removing the stem. I guess it just depends on when you want to deal with the dirt).
I then took a few leaves together and rolled them up like a cigar....sliced into 1" bits then rotated the knife and cut straight down the middle of my slices.This gave me some decent sized pieces, quickly.
In a large stockpot, heat the oil and add the ham hocks...sauteing a bit to release some of the flavor. Carefully add the water. Then add in your wine, hot sauce and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the greens and the onions.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until tender. When there's about 30 minutes left in the cooking time, add the sugar.
Drain out the water (save the water for soup stock. its packed with flavor and nutrients), sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and serve