Greens
½ lb. Benton’s Smoked Bacon, diced
2 lb. collard greens (or mustard or turnip greens)
Salt and pepper to taste
Seasonings Bowl
1 onion, chopped
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. sugar
Ham Hock Stock
3 ham hocks
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
8 sprigs thyme
12 cups cold water
First, make the stock. Combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.
Fry the bacon in a soup pot over low heat until most of the fat is rendered and the meat is lightly browned. While the bacon is frying, wash the greens, remove the stems and chop the leaves. Put the still-damp greens into the pot with the bacon. Cover, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes. Uncover and stir in the contents of the Seasonings Bowl and 2 cups of stock. Cover again and simmer until the greens are tender (about 1 hour). Salt and pepper to taste.
Our comments: These are great southern greens! You can also use ham hocks or something other than Benton's Smoked Bacon (bentonscountryham.com) ... but don't. You can skip the stock if you are short on time ... but don't. I use this stock in lieu of chicken stock in other recipes.