Country Greens Recipes

COUNTRY TURNIP GREENS

Steps:

• Put the ham in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cook until the ham is crispy and the fat is rendered, about 8 minutes. Pour in the apple cider vinegar and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift up any brown bits.
• Meanwhile, rip the greens into large pieces to make it easier to fit all of them into the stockpot.
• Add the greens to the pot and season generously with black pepper. Pour in the chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring the greens to a simmer and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the greens are tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is nearly gone, about 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

PERFECT MIXED GREENS

Steps:

• Pull the leaf portions of the collard, mustard, and turnip greens away from the tough stems, and discard the stems. Gently wash the greens in warm water to remove all soil and sand. Partially fill a clean sink with warm water, and stir in 3 tablespoons of salt and 2 cups of chicken broth; allow greens to soak in the mixture for 10 minutes. Scoop up the greens and allow to drain in a colander; discard used chicken broth. Do not rinse the greens.
• Pour the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth into a large pot, and mix in the greens. Stir in vegetable oil, garlic, bacon bits, and sugar, and season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the greens are tender, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

COUNTRY TURNIP GREENS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook salt pork until lightly browned. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings. , Stir the remaining ingredients into the reserved drippings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until greens are tender.

GRANDMA'S COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon lard over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until tender. Add ham hocks, water, seasoned salt, pepper flakes, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 55-60 minutes or until meat is tender., Add collard greens, wine, and remaining lard. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 55-60 minutes or until greens are very tender. Remove meat from bones; finely chop and return to pan. Discard bones. Serve with a slotted spoon.

AUNT MARTHA'S COUNTRY GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Using a large pan, put all the ingredients in the pan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Cook for approximately two and a half hours.
• If needed add more water.
• Make sure the beans are really tender before serving.

LOWCOUNTRY COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Tear the greens from their stems. Take a handful of greens, roll them up lengthwise and slice them into bite-size pieces. Add the sliced greens to an empty, clean sink full of cool water and wash them, removing all grit, sand and debris. Drain sink and rinse greens thoroughly with cold water until water becomes clear.
• Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add 4 cups of water to the pot. (This will become your potlikker.) Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the cleaned greens by the handful, stirring them until wilted before adding more.
• Add the smoked turkey, bouillon cubes, garlic and onion powders, apple cider vinegar, black pepper and red-pepper flakes to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover and lower heat to medium-low. Cook until greens are completely tender, at least 2 hours. Most of the water should have evaporated by this point, with just enough left to cover the bottom of the pot, and the meat should pull away from the bones.
• Take the meat out of the pot, transfer to a cutting board, and shred the meat with two forks. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and onion powder as needed. To cut bitterness, add sugar; if you'd like more tang, add more vinegar. Serve hot.

COUNTRY GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Grab a good sized pot.
• Set the heat on the stove to medium high.
• Cook the bacon in the pot until brown, but not crunchy (include onion in this step cooked until translucent if desired).
• Add canned beans with juice to pot, making sure to stir the bacon and its juices into liquid.
• Add pepper sauce, salt, and pepper to pot.
• Leave on medium-high heat, uncovered, until beans and liquid come to a slight boil.
• When a boil is achieved, stir, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover (adjust the heat so the beans are just about boiling with the cover on but not boiling out of the pot).
• Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10-20 minutes.
• Add more spices if desired (take a taste test every now and then).
• For fresh beans, before cooking as directed above, boil beans in enough water to cover + 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes (I feel this helps get rid of the strange taste some fresh green beans have).
• Drain.
• Add fresh green beans to recipe as indicated, but add enough water to cover once more.

COUNTRY GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels.
• Combine bacon, green beans, onion, butter, chicken broth, garlic, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Cover and simmer on medium heat until beans are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.