This is a redux of an old blog post from my archives. I’m going through and updating recipes with better photos, a cleaner recipe presentation, and some additional information. The greens are still as good as they were years ago, and they’re still a solid part of my New Year’s Day traditions.
A lot of people who didn’t grow up eating collard greens are afraid to try them. There’s this perception that they’re just a slimy pile of wilted greenery, as appetizing as that canned spinach your mom made you eat as a kid. I promise you, collards are not like that. When you braise them slowly in a flavorful liquid, they become tender but not mushy – almost the texture of al dente pasta. They’re worth trying when they’re made well.
In the South, collards are a staple side dish, but they’re also a New Year’s Day tradition. My Meemaw (my East Texas grandmother) always made collard greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread for New Year’s Day. Every single year, without fail: greens for money, peas for luck in the coming year. It’s a tradition that I continue to this day.
It’s also a tradition and a food that has it’s roots in the foodways of enslaved Africans. Collard greens aren’t just “Southern food.” They’re African American food, created and refined by enslaved people who brought knowledge of leafy greens from West Africa and adapted it to the ingredients available to them here. I learned this from Michael Twitty, a culinary historian whose work has fundamentally changed how I think about Southern food. He makes clear that we can’t honestly talk about Southern food without acknowledging who created it. The slow braising technique, the use of pot liquor, the pairing with cornbread and black-eyed peas—all of this comes from African American culinary traditions.
I can love my grandmother’s collard greens and honor their true origins at the same time. Both things are true. But it matters that I say it out loud: these greens are part of a much larger tradition that deserves credit and recognition.
This recipe takes my grandmother’s simple version and adds spicy peppers and tomatoes, bringing some depth and a tiny bit of heat. As you consider the making these greens, feel free to make changes of your own; collards are super flexible that way. Some people like sweetness in their collards and add a tablespoon of sugar. Some like them even spicier and throw in pepper flakes or dried chiles. Substitute roasted red peppers for the piquillo or (drawing from another Southern staple) use pimentos for a vinegary twist.
And although collards are a great side-dish, I love a bowl of leftover collard greens for breakfast. Add a couple of eggs – fried or soft boiled – and it’s a delicious and nutritious way to start the day.
One final note: Don’t let the liquid left over from cooking go to waste. You’ll have a few cups of “pot liquor” that’s rich in vitamins and full of flavor. If I’m not using it right away, I freeze it. Use it as a soup base, as the liquid when cooking rice or beans, or as a marinade for roasts. There’s also the good old Southern tradition of crumbling day-old cornbread in it to make a thick, soupy porridge. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!
If you’ve never had collard greens, I hope you’ll try this recipe. If you already know and love collards, share your recipe variations in the comments!
Not My Meemaw’s Collard Greens
Equipment
- 4+ qt Dutch oven or stock pot
Ingredients
- ¼ lb thick-cut bacon diced
- 1 lb collard greens washed, stemmed, and chopped
- 1 med onion peeled and diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 8oz jar piquillo peppers diced, juice reserved
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups ham stock or chicken stock, veggie stock, or water
Instructions
- Put your diced bacon in a 4-5 qt stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat and cook until the bacon bits are crispy and you've rendered out as much fat as possible.
- Remove the bacon bits and set them aside.
- Add the onion to the pot and turn up the heat slightly. Cook the onion until it becomes translucent and then starts to brown and caramelize a little.
- Add in the garlic and give it a quick stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the collard greens. The greens will fill the pot entirely, but keep tossing and stirring them until they're well coated with the oil in the pot, mixed with the onion and garlic, and starting to soften and turn a deeper green.
- Once the collards have started to wilt down a little, maybe 5 mins, add the piquillo peppers with their juice, the diced tomatoes and juice, and the vinegar.
- Finally add enough stock or other liquid to come to about halfway up the level of the greens – around 4 cups. Keep in mind that the greens will shrink as they cook and you don't want too much liquid.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the greens stirring occasionally, for around 4 hours, minimum. You want them to be tender but not mushy.
- Serve with bacon bits sprinkled over the top or with a dash of pepper vinegar.
