Down Home Collard Greens

I have been blessed to travel a fair amount abroad in my younger days, and since becoming a parent, I can proudly say I've traveled through nearly the entire western United States, and I'm well on my way to having visited most of the left coast. When traveling, my favorite thing to do is sample the local fare.  It's a great way to broaden your palette, add a sense of fun and adventure, and you usually end up enjoying fabulous food and experiencing the local culture.

Apparently, the desk clerk at the hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, didn't get the memo. When asked for a restaurant recommendation, she suggested "Applebee's." I looked at her in mock horror.  Seriously? I did not just travel 18 hours through three airports to eat at Applebee's. It's so sad that America seems to be turning into one big strip mall.

Sensing that I was about to cry, the manager on duty steered me to two barbecue joints within one block of each other. It seems that barbecue is synonymous with the South, and they take their barbecue seriously.

Southern barbecue is not to be confused with what we enjoy in California. For the most part, at least in Tennessee, the meat is smoked for ages, beyond all reason in a smoker, until it's literally falling apart. Smoking takes some of the less desirable cuts of meat and not only makes them edible, but downright tasty (much to my daughter's horror, I had a "butt sandwich" at Sugar's and it was divine). 

You could probably smoke a tennis shoe in that manner, and it would taste good. It is then slathered in a myriad of different barbecue sauces, much thinner in substance to which we are accustomed. They have names like "Hot Lips," "Tennessee Whiskey," "Memphis Original," "Habernero Hot," "Carolina Sweet," "Tennessee Sweet and Gloopy" and "Carolina Classic."

As if all this deliciousness wasn't enough, they up the ante with dishes that literally make you want to eat your vegetables, like okra (fried or wood grilled), fried green tomatoes and collard greens. 

Are you hungry yet?

As good as the barbecue was, for me the best meal I've eaten in a very, very long time, came courtesy of the Busy Bee in Atlanta, Georgia–world class fried chicken that blows the Colonel or any other wannabe out of the water, fantastic collard greens and my all time favorite: fried green tomatoes. Southern cuisine is closely tied with soul food, featuring many of the same dishes.

The place is a total dive, but it didn't matter. Our darling waitress, Shirley, treated us like family and, kindly, indulged us when my daughter kept prattling on–"Mom! How come you never told me about soul food, oh - my - God this is so good..." (wipe your chin darling, you are drooling)–while she devoured a chicken breast bigger than her head. Shirley and I were on the same page as we both answered, "because it's made with loooooove" at the same time.  And it's true. Soul food is made with so much love. Well, love, butter and pork products, but mostly love.

I tried to convince the cook, Ms. Anna, to share some of her recipes to which I was told by Shirley, "She ain't gonna give you no recipes. I've been working here for 18 years, and I'm still waiting."  It was worth a try. And I ordered a second round of fried green tomatoes.

Given that Ms. Anna wasn't sharing, I committed the epiphany that was the taste of her collard greens to memory and have shared my experimentation in the kitchen with you below.

Yummy Collard Greens

Ingredients

• 3 bunches collard greens
• 6 cups water (when reduced to 2 cups, add 4 cups)
• 2 smoked ham hocks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. pepper flakes (optional)
• vinegar (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, boil water, salt and ham hocks for one hour. Liquid will reduce. After an hour, in the same pot, add an additional two cups water, pepper flakes and greens. Cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.  

Cook in additional 15 minute increments until tender. Add additional water during cooking as necessary to keep ham hocks covered about halfway and so greens don't burn.

Drizzle the vinegar over the top.

If you prefer your greens meatless you can prepare with vegetable broth (minus the ham hock) but it won't have that smoky taste.

Eat up y'all.