Southern Collard Greens Recipe w/ Smoked Turkey Legs (soul food style)
Collard greens have been cooked and used for centuries. The Southern-style of cooking of greens came with the arrival of African slaves to the southern colonies and the need to satisfy their hunger and provide food for their families. Though greens did not originate in Africa, the habit of eating greens that have been cooked down into a low gravy, and drinking the juices from the greens (known as “pot likker”) is of African origin. The slaves of the plantations were given leftover food from the plantation kitchen. Some of this food consisted of the tops of turnips and other greens. Ham hocks and pig’s feet were also given to the slaves. Forced to create meals from these leftovers, they created the famous southern greens. The slave diet began to evolve and spread when slaves entered the plantation houses as cooks. Their African dishes, using the foods available in the region they lived in, began to evolve into present-day Southern cooking
Watch me make these Southern Collard Greens from start to finish!
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Get the Recipe: Southern Collard Greens Recipe w/ Smoked Turkey Legs (soul food style)
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of collard greens
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 t. red pepper flakes
- 1 fully-cooked, smoked turkey leg (can also use smoked turkey wings)
- Seasoning (optional), (salt, pepper, vinegar, hot sauce
Instructions
- Remove the collard green leaf from the steam.
- Wash the collards several times in cold water to remove any dirt and grit. You can also use salt to help remove the grit if needed.
- Rinse well & set aside
- In a large pot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped onions & garlic. Saute until tender.
- Add in the chicken broth, red pepper flakes, & the turkey leg. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 20-30 minutes. This helps the broth take on that delicious, smokey flavor!
- Add in the collard greens. Simmer covered for about 45-60 minutes or until your desired tenderness is reached. You can increase the heat if needed but do not boil the collard greens. They will wilt down as they cook.
- When done, season to your preference. In my opinion, these greens don't need a thing if your broth is very sesoned. I usually add in a few dashes of black pepper and a few drops of hot sauce!
I tried your recipe and the greens were good.
These were the best!!
Love this recipe…so simple and easy. I made this recipe twice and well. Once for home and the second for my mother. She called me at work and said "Girl what you do to these greens?" I was like "huh,I cooked them." She was like "I know but how? They are so good you need to make them for me every Sunday. LOL
This recipe turned out so delicious. I love collard greens and was never able to make them. Thank you for showing me step by step how to do it. I look forward to trying more things.
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!!! This recipe for every the true every African American meal staple made me look like a cook extrodinaire infront of my future mother-in-law. The greens cooked quickly with this method and the coinsistency was superb. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, I am keeping it to myself, and just let them think I could cook like this all along 😉
Monique… I made these collard greens along with some meatloaf, homemade macaroni and cheese (I'm going to try your recipe next) and cornbread. I invited my homegirl over here to eat. Lets just say those collards were gone in one day..lol! We was over here drinking the juice! This recipe is in my collection. Thank you so much for sharing =)
Teasa K