Southern-style collard greens are stewed with smoked turkey, onion, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Eating veggies has never been easier thanks to this recipe!
On the hunt for hearty vegetable side dishes that aren't bland? Scoop up a bowl of collard greens. This dish is a staple in the southern region of the United States and it's especially perfect for a New Year's Day dinner. A feast of black-eyed peas (coins), cornbread (gold), and brothy collard greens (money) are eaten to symbolize luck, health, and wealth respectively in the new year! Of course, these slow-simmered collards also make a terrific Thanksgiving side dish or addition to any Southern comfort food feast. Don't forget the corn muffins to sop up the deliciousness!
Raw collard greens tough and somewhat bitter, but cooking them slowly tenderizes the leaves and mellows the bitterness. What you're left with is soft collards infused with rich, meaty broth. The longer the greens simmer, the better they'll taste!
While the greens themselves are vegetarian, you would be hard-pressed to find any stewed collard greens in the Southern United States without a smidge of bacon fat or a smattering of smoked meat. This version calls for tender, meaty smoked turkey legs as the base, boiling them in water to yield a flavorful broth that the whole table will slurp up. If pork is more your thing, use the same amount of smoked ham hocks.
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1
In a large pot, cover the turkey legs in 2 quarts of water. Bring the turkey legs to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the turkey is tender and falling off the bone, about 1 ½ hours.
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Step
2
Remove the turkey legs from the stock and strain the stock into a large bowl through a fine mesh sieve. When the turkey is cool enough to handle, remove the bones and skin and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
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3
In the same large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, paprika, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, vinegar, sugar, and the strained smoked turkey stock. Add the greens one handful at a time, stirring until wilted. Fold in the shredded turkey. Add water until it just covers the greens. Cover and cook until the greens are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the lid and simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced, 10 minutes. Taste for salt and vinegar.
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4
Serve hot, with pepper sauce, if you like.
