Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Sauce! (The dish that might make you rich!)
I have always loved greens. Turnip, collard, or mixed, I just adore them. Among the greens I like, my Grandmama’s ranks the absolute highest. No one can make them like her. However, I did learn that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing…
When I was working on my degree, I lived with my grandparents for a while. Grandadddy passed away while I was living there and it was just me and Grandmama. You can imagine how very different life was for the both of us with Grandaddy gone. Being a southern lady, Grandmama needed someone to take care of – because thats just what southern women do. I had mentioned before how much I enjoyed Grandmama’s greens and she was off to the races with a cause!
Every day for lunch, we had turnip greens. Every day for supper, we had turnip greens. There might have been a day or two in there in which we only had them once, but they always made a show before the sun went down, carried to the table by a very pleased looking Grandmama as she bragged on how much I loved to eat them. I DID love them and hers WERE the best but…y’all can just imagine. I ate every bite, every day, at every meal she served them at. After a month or two, I half expected to look in the mirror and find my skin had turned green. At one point I went to get blood work and the doctor was impressed with my iron levels, her exact words were “You must eat a lot of greens and such”. If she only knew.
I laugh now, just as I did then, about Grandmama making me greens so much. I did get a little weary after a while, but the thought that was behind them still made them delicious and to this day I still count them among some of my favorite dishes.
Greens are a critical part of our New Year’s Day meal in the south. According to our tradition, the amount of greens you eat is directly proportionate to how much money you will have in the coming year. Even my brother, who has picky eating habits to rival the most obstinate toddler, has been known to manage a bite or two on New Years day!
You’re going to need some greens. You can use Collards or Turnip greens, or a mixture of both. I am using Collards because that was what was available to me. This is what a bunch looks like. The bundle I bought had three of these and that is the amount I’ll be making today.
I start by chopping the end off like this.
Then I put them in my pot and run cold water over them to start washing them. Washing your greens is extremely important as they do have dirt on them and you want to remove that.
I also pick up each individual leaf and run that under the water, too. Then I place washed leaves in a clean bowl or dishpan.
These little ones that have clearly been feasted on by little critters just get thrown away. I don’t mind them though, I don’t fault a little buggy who has a taste for some fresh greens!
Now we need to get that big old tough spine out of them. If you fold the leaf in two and hold it, it will easily tear right off the spine. If you can’t manage this, just tear it off or cut it off, whatever works for you is just fine!
You just want to end up with a nice bowl of collard leaves like this one.
Now take a bunch at at time and just coarsely chop them up a bit. Don’t worry about making them too small, they will shrink a lot when cooked anyway. We’re just going for big pieces rather than huge leaves here.
Once that is done, put them in a large pot. In your pot, pour about two quarts of water, 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup of salt. You may put more or less salt to taste but I would wait and let them cook a bit before you decide. If it is too salty, drain some of the water and add fresh, unsalted water. If it isn’t salty enough, just add a bit more. This isn’t rocket science so don’t fret over whether or not you are doing it right. If it tastes right to you, its perfect 
. Cook these on medium heat for about two hours, or until tender.
Notice how they aren’t covered with water? There is already two quarts of water in that pot, they are just kind of piled in there but see what happens after about half an hour…
Now they are all sunk down in the water and cooking nicely. These still have over an hour to go. If your water starts getting too low, add some more while these are cooking. If you REALLY want some good greens, add you in a ham hock or some country ham slices while these cook and then shred it up and put it back in after the collards are done. I don’t have any ham hocks today so we’re doing these this way…
Now lets make some pepper sauce..I LOVE the pepper sauce!!
You’ll need: Vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, hot peppers, and salt.
In a pot, place all of your ingredients (recipe at the bottom). Give it a stir and bring it just to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer until it is cooked down by about half. By that I mean, look at the level it is at now and when it is half that amount (thanks to evaporation), your sauce is done!
Drain greens and place in a serving bowl after cooking them for about two hours. Drizzle individual servings with the pepper sauce… This sauce is great for so many vegetables!
Decide how rich you want to be in the new year and eat greens accordingly!
Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 3 bunches collard greens
- 3/4 C cider Vinegar
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 C salt
- Ham Hock, Ham bone, or pieces of country ham, optional
Instructions
- Rinse greens well. Remove spines and chop coarsely, place in pot. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until collards are tender, about two hours, adding more water if needed. Serve warm with hot pepper sauce.
Hot Pepper Sauce
3 C water
1 C white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
4 hot peppers from jar, whole
1 tsp minced garlic
Combine all in pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until amount is reduced by half. Drizzle over greens or other vegetables. Refrigerate remainder.
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Ingredients
- 3 bunches collard greens
- 3/4 C cider Vinegar
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 C salt
- Ham Hock, Ham bone, or pieces of country ham, optional
Instructions
- Rinse greens well. Remove spines and chop coarsely, place in pot. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until collards are tender, about two hours, adding more water if needed. Serve warm with hot pepper sauce.
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Thank you all and Happy New Year!
Gratefully,
Christy
~~~~~~~~
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Dec 30 2008. Filed under Misc, Side Dishes, Southern Classics.
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I love fresh greens! I wish that I had a tutorial like this the first time I made them. I didn’t know you had to wash them about 10 times (especially the ones you get from the produce stand)! Or remove the spines… Or cut them so much. They’re a lot of work, but they’re worth it!
I never thought about making homemade vinegar sauce. I’ve just always used it straight from the bottle.
I knew you were going to post a collard green recipe before the New Year! It’s my favorite part of New Year’s Eve….my mama’s(used to be my grandmama’s) collard greens with a side of black eyed peas. I plan on making a big pot on New Year’s Day, just for the smell. Now I have a new recipe I can try!
My daddy had a wholesale produce company for years. He also had a little farm land in the country to grow his own produce and eliminate the middle man sometimes. When winter came around.. here came the greens! He tied 3 to 6 bunches together and I’d have 30 or 40 of those a day waiting on me to wash in a washtub. Dang it was cold work! We lived in the city and if he planted any in the backyard.. we’d have stranger’s knocking on the door wanting some. You could tell the country raised people in the city cause they would just come on in the house without knocking.. I guess they figured that anyone who grew greens was country too and therefore a neighbor lol.
Daddy’s getting out of the hospital tomorrow. I think I’ll have a mess of greens and some buttermilk cornbread waitin on him when he gets home.
I’ve never heard of adding vinegar to the cooking water. We just add a ham hock or hog jowls and salt. I’ll have to try it your way…I’m sure it’s delicious. Thanks!
I have only cooked collard greens once. See this way of cooking them, I know I did not do them correctly. I had planned never to do them again. Maybe, I will give them another try later. Lois
I love greens. Turnip and collards are my favorite too. I like to fix ‘em with cornmeal dumplins’. Yummm
OMG – I love collard greens! Love them – love them – love them!
-Darius
http://www.everydaycookin.com
Yum, those look good!
Sonya You are so right, they are a lot of work but well worth it!
Oh Sonya, that homemade stuff is AWESOME!! You gotta try it!! Lol
Amiyrah hehe, I’m so glad I didn’t let ya down!! We are actually eating these on New Years day as well. One of the things about having Southern Plate means I have to cook everything early for holidays! Lol I really appreciate you taking the time to comment!!
Bill YAY! I am so glad to hear about your father! I loved hearing your story about the produce company, but the good news about Bill’s Daddy overshadows it all! Do give him our love (and some good food will definitely help). Bill, I am so glad to hear he is okay now. You take care of you, too. I know you’ve been worried and likely not sleeping well. Maybe a little takeout to give you a break…
WillowDee I love it with some ham hock or hog jowl added! I just didn’t want to drag both kids to Piggly Wiggly today- I’m so lazy! Lol Thank YOU for taking the time to read and comment!!!
Lois I bet that one time they were good, too!! If you give them another shot, let us know how they turn out!
Rebel Oooh I am soooo eating at your house!
Darius You like all the good stuff! One of these days you are soooo cooking for me, too! Lol
Mary I ate a big old bowl for lunch and I just LOVE them with that sauce!!!! lol
Thank you all so very much for taking the time to comment, I LOVE to hear from you!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Don’t ever try to buy the condiment made of pickled hot peppers anywhere approaching the Mason-Dixon or beyond–
Just don’t.
Stay where you are and enjoy your “hog feed” of grits and greens and peas and suchs afely in your own backyard, away from the scrutiny and criticism!
wait, no bacon?
I’ve made greens a few times and really enjoyed them. I actually even like them cold
lol, didn’t have any on hand, Olga! lol
caught me!
Christy
I’ve never been a big greens lover either growing up, but I think I had better start if nothing else than to be healthy and get the same doctor’s report you got!
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmy! Love Greens!
Happy New Year Christy… just wanted to come here let you know how much I have enjoyed getting to know you over the last few months. Your blog is awesome, your food incredible… and you are a true Southern Gem. You always know how to make me smile and you are as sweet as they come. *hugs* I hope 2009 is the best year ever for you and yours
We don’t get collard greens over here in Ireland (so I guess I’ll never get rich that way!) although I do cook cabbage with red wine vinegar and apple, which sounds like it’s at least somewhat similar in spirit to your greens (so maybe there’s some hope for me
)
Happy New Year! I am away at the hunting club with my husband. But, we still had the required meal for the day. I cooked black-eyed peas, mixed greens (both seasoned with smoked hog jowl), mashed pototoes (homeade of course), cornbread, jumbalaya and pork chops. Everyone came to our camper and ate. They love country cooking!
FYI! I have hunted for 16 years with hubby and I finally got my first buck yesterday. Tenderloin is on the menu for tommorrow evening!
Have a great New Year!
So glad I found this recipe-I adore greens but I have never been able to make good ones. I have a problem though in that I am allergic to apples and so I cannot eat cider vinegar-I find that subbing a straight ampount of white vinegar in recipes is NOT the same-any sugestions? And oh horrors-I am allergic to tea too-sometimes I just crave it!!!
Just curious…………I don’t know what our local grocery store carries, but if they have both (collard and turnip) which one is the least bitter?? i have to please the tastebuds of a 13 year old also.
Hello Shawna, in my opinion, turnips are less bitter than collards. They are also more tender so a picky 13 year old might prefer them. Hope y’all enjoy them and have a happy New Year! Kathy
Love the Collard and Turnip Greens. In my part of East LA, Momma would add some brown sugar or honey to the Collards, if they were too bitter. Also you can put them overnight in the freezer to bring out the sweetness. Collards picked after a frost are always sweeter, because the plant makes its own anti-freeze (alcohol) to keep the leaves from wilting.
Instead of the cider, add a boullion cube – beef, chicken or vegetable. Sometimes we will add the cider, sugar and a bullion cube. Don’t matter, still good.
Last year I attempted to make these for the first time. Well, when I got the directions from my granny, she left out that you had the chop them up. Well, they turned out quite tasty…..too bad we looked like cows grazing since we had big collard greens hanging out the mouth.
We have almost the same family tradition. From my grandmother, my MOM and me, we always cooked the peas, turnip greens, and hog jowls. But, this year, my daughter is taking up the pot and spoon for our traditional meal. She loves collards. So, this year, we will have collards. She asked me to bring the black eyed peas and to make crackling cornbread. I sent her your recipe for the collards. And, I am going to change from just peas and try your hoppin’john this year. I look forward to your recipes and emails. I think it is wonderful that you are continuing the Southern Hospitality and traditions with your family recipes. I especially enjoyed the whole breakfast and the fact that you served it for another meal beside at breakfast and with tea. My goal is to have your breakfast one day soon and share it with my family too.
[...] headline » Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Sauce! (The dish that might make you rich!) Tue, 12/30/08 – 2:26 PM | 22 Comments [...]
I love your website. All the traditional southern foods makes my mouth water. I will be cookin’ your greens for our New Year’s Day Feast. Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful things.
Christy,
What an honor that you posted my email to you! I just love Southern Plate and your “pull up a chair and sit a spell” style of Southern charm! I want to note that while some of the information that I sent you was my own, I did obtain some of the information from Epicurious, so I wanted to give them proper credit. Isn’t it great that we form bonds and traditions over food? My mother is a wonderful Southern cook and I wrote a poem to honor her and my father on their 50th anniversary. One part of that poem pointed out that my mother not only fed our bodies but our souls with the love and care she poured into her cooking. I have had the incredible opportunity to train with many chefs from different parts of the country and the world, so those experiences have broadened my palate and extended my culinary abilities; but I value my Southern roots and traditions, which are the bases for most of my cooking. I have found that we can all learn from one another if we keep open minds and open hearts. Chef Tell, who passed away a couple of years ago, was one of the most “challenging” chefs I ever worked with…but beneath that demanding exterior was the desire for perfection and beauty in the foods he prepared. It seems that commitment runs deep in all true “foodies!” Again, thank you for posting my email, for including me in your wonderful website and for making me feel “at home” each and every time I read your wonderful posts and try your recipes!
Blessings in the New Year!
Melissa
P.S. And I just love that I’m not the only Southern Belle who grew up dunking her cornbread into the “pot liquor” of the greens…that made me smile!
For some reason, my comments posted to the wrong post! I’ll have to try again! LOL!
Thanks so much for the recipe. I never knew to add vinegar to greens and my hubbie loves the pepper sauce,so now I can make and not have to pay a big price for a small amount. Thanks so much for all the hard work you have done for Southernplate this year. I have enjoyed it very much and hope you continue.. Happy New Year 2010!!!
I don’t have a blog, but I enjoy reading yours and love your reciepes. I love in Alabama. So I like southern food!!
Stumbled upon Southern plate one day and love all the recipes and stories. I relocated 5 yrs ago (family in tow) to SLC, Utah from Florida. Husband and I still keep a big garden up here during the growing season and enjoy all our bounty. I will be enjoying some greens i froze since you can’t buy fresh ones up here. Introduced my best friend to you too. Love ya Christy
I made this recipe, along with the black-eyed peas (first time anyone in my family has had black-eyed peas), and we all LOVED both. The collard greens were the best I’ve ever tasted! Today was the first time I’d done a New Year’s Day dinner, and I hope to continue the tradition from here on out. My kids even ate the greens because I told them it would bring them money this year!
Just discovered you delicious site..
my family loved mustard and turnip greens,,
for lunch, Mom would pinch tiny leaves from the greens,
wash them well, toss them into the black cast iron skillet
along with green onions and bacon grease.
She call this wilting.
Also would be fried cornbread patties..
Along with sweet iced tea, this was our very delectable lunch..
Of course, homemade pepper sauce was the dressing for our greens!
yummy!
and of course, the traditional Black eyed peas, greens, candied yams, cornbread, baked ham, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers in vinagarette
sauce..if we have room..pecan pie and ice cream for dessert!
warm hugs..laughing smiles..Loui♥
First I ate Collard Greens at my mother-in-law’s house and I did not like it. But my husband liked greens so I tried many recipes and found what I liked. I cooked chopped bacons and made them really crispy, then put chopped onions & garlic and cooked. Then put greens and chicken stock. Let them cook in a slow cooker for a few hours and we have yummy greens. My husband laughed everytime he saw me eating greens with a rice bowl & chopsticks. Yes, I am from Japan!
The only turnip greens I’ve ever liked I ate recently, but can’t remember where. They had an almost creamy taste, and weren’t bitter. Any idea how that’s accomplished? Also, what do you do to ventilate the house? LOL!
Hi, Cathy! I’ve found that boiling a little white vinegar usually neutralizes cooking odors. (Course, my family thinks that’s crazy since they don’t like the smell of vinegar.) The vinegar smell will dissipate pretty quickly and then you have your nice, fresh house back. Have a great day! MaryC
I love collard greens also. My mom always made them silimar to your grandmother, but she would go a step further and place them in a fryer once cooked and drained, add a little oil and some water and fry them. That made them even better. To this day it is hard for me to eat bolied only greens.
I am so excited to try this recipe. My husband & I went to a friends for dinner on New Years Day. She had made collards & my husband went back 3 times to fill his plate up – I sure hope this recipe out does that so he is a happy man!
Christy,
The homemade pepper sauce has always made a difference with me, and I’m a big fan of the ham hock too.
My favorite restaurant turnip greens are Cracker Barrel…lots of little bits of pork mixed in.
But I do miss the smell of my Grandma Lydia’s house when she used to cook turnip greens in her pressure cooker, and the house would smell like biscuits and greens. Too many years ago to think about…or I’ll cry, if I do.
Enjoy spending time with your Grandmama! She sounds like a lovely lady.
Amy
My southern Virginia Grandma always served our collards topped with a mix of chopped onion, cucumber, black pepper and cider vingar. YUM! People think I’m crazy when I say that collards are my favorite vegetable!
I’m like some others, gotta have some sort of pork in my greens, doesn’t matter if it’s a hambone, fresh neckbones or even pork chops. I add a bit of baking soda to keep them pretty & green plus to help tender them if they are a bit tough, a bit of sugar and if the meat doesn’t have a bit of fat, I add a bit of canola oil. Yeah, yeah, I know they’d be more health conscious without all that but.. I’m from SW Alabama..lol.
Y’all take care and Happy New Year to everyone!!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE-LOVE-LOVE-LOVE THIS RECIPE! I had never cooked greens before and i tried this recipe. My entire family went nutts over my geens and they couldn’t believe that i had cooked them. As a matter of fact, my mom just bought 12 more bunches of greens yesterday, sat up all night and picked them, just for me to cook them today
Do you have a recommendation for how to cook greens in a slow cooker?
While growing up in north Mississippi I had an uncle from Louisana who loved greens. Uncle Carlos was a true Cujun. When he, my aunt and family came home for holidays he came prepared to cook. He brought fresh crab, shrimp, and crawfish etc. He would start cooking in the afternoon and by dinner we would have seafood, gumbo, stuffed tomatoes, and twice baked potatos. While we ate the food he had prepared for us he ate turnip greens prepared for him by my great Grandmother. He ate what he could for supper, the leftovers were eaten by him the next morning for breakfast straight from the refrigerator.
It seems we as southerners have the best time when our activities include food, family, and a bucket full of laughs.
As a child I was everywhere, as my Dad was in the Air Force. When we would come back home and eat, it was obviously different from what I was eating year round. I spent a lot of time at my family’s home after becoming an adult and learned a lot more about foods. Your recipe’s really hit the mark. I like to try new recipe’s and last night I made your collards, cornbread and northern beans (using your black-eye peas recipe). We were stuffed! I think it was the best meal I ever had! Thanks for sharing your love of cooking and your family with us all!
Great recipe!! I loved it/ I added chicken broth! my family loved it. Thanks!
An old guy from Louisiana taught me to make these using bacon and chicken stock. He’s no longer with us, so whenever I make ‘em I think about my friend J.D….another guy gave me a stick…literally a stick, and told me to plant it in the garden. I laughed at him and told him he must be crazy… after a couple months I started to see some kind of life, and it turned out to be a collard plant….we ate good off that for a couple years…thanks Gene!!! Love Southern Plate….gonna make a mess o’ greens for New Years!
Don’t forget to eat some for me!!
Love reading about your family.
I’ve never heard of putting the vinegar in the cooking water. Will have to give that a try. I checked my garden today, I got turnip and kale coming back up. Love all greens. The hot pepper sauce sounds really good too.
Collards will really “smell up the house” but they’re worth it. An old lady in the grocery store told me her secret. She said to put 3 or 4 washed pecans in the shell in the pot when you start to cook collards. The pecans will absorb a lot of the odor. Works for me and beats cooking them over an open fire outside.
I have never heard that tip Mary Jane, I am definitely going to have to try it. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I agree with Mary Jane. My Mom always did this and it certainly helped a LOT. Keeps everyone from asking “are you cookin’ collards?” 3 days after you’re done, lol!
thanks for the recipe on these collard greens that is exactley how I cook mine.. Love to smell them cooking . My older lady friend told me to try cooking them with a few smoked turkey wings! Oh my was that wonderful. I cooked them way down and we enjoyed eating those wings right there at the stove lol I will always add them smoked turkey wings from now on and they are very cheap and make collards so yummy! Happy new Year
now if you want good ole southern colllards there are 2 certain ways, my husband likes his cooked with pig tails. if you like pig tails, you use for how big a pot of collards you will be fixing, now as for me, my mama put them on to boil, took 3 or 4 slices streak o lean fried this up nice and done, just put enough oil in bottom of skillet so meat doesnt stick, fry out at low heat, want all the fat out of that meat, then you take and pour all that in your pot of greens then cook however long you want, me the longer you cook them the better they are. this is not a so called healthy recipe but it sure makes me think of my saint of a mama.
Hey Christy. When I went to save the collards recipe to my recipe box, it said hot pepper sauce. So I went back again to see if I saved the right thing and it said it again. Have a great one.