by Wesley Harris

You want something green on your Thanksgiving dinner menu but you’re so tired of green bean casserole? Try collard greens.

We cook collards on occasion, but this will be the first year they have graced our Thanksgiving table. It will be a welcome change from those green beans.

Collard greens, part of the cabbage family, have long been a Southern family meal staple, No longer reserved for country folk, they have been revived as a great addition to contemporary meals. The variations in recipes are numerous, but a few hard and fast rules apply.

1. Wash the collard greens thoroughly at least twice. Then hand wash each leaf. Otherwise, you’ll have gritty collards.
2. A form of smoked meat must be cooked with the greens to enhance their flavor.
3. Provide bowls for any cooked green so diners can dip up the “pot liquor,” also spelled “pot likker,” the savory juice that holds much of the dish’s flavor and nutrients.

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Here’s a basic collard green recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs. collard greens

1 ½ lbs. of smoked turkey wings or legs or a smoked ham hock

Carton of chicken broth

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder

1. Add the smoked meat to a large pot, add chicken broth, then top off with water until the meat is just covered. Simmer until the meat is falling off the bone.
2. While the meat is simmering,. Then rip out the tough middle stem. Roll leaves up into a bundle and cut into small pieces.
3. Once the meat is cooked, add the other ingredients to the meat. Simmer for about an hour until greens are super tender.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more to your taste.

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Fried Collards

For a different taste, try fried collards. Dorothy Bonner, a longtime Grambling High School teacher and counselor, shared her fried collard green recipe with the community in 1975:

1/3 lb. sliced dry salt pork

3 bunches of collards

Salt to taste

½ cup water

1. Chop thoroughly washed collards & remove stems.
2. Fry sliced pork in skillet until crisp. Add collards and salt, no more than ½ cup water.
3. Stir frequently, lower heat, cook covered until tender, 20-30 minutes.

Serve with hot water cornbread, sweet potatoes, & broiled steaks cooked with the cornbread.

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