Chapter 2. Grandma's New Smokey Braised Greens
Preparing greens is a very spiritual process for me, and one that often brings me grounding.
The spirits of people I’ll never meet or know seem to gather in anticipation as I bring together the ingredients from whispers of their advice. The ritual of chopping, dicing, and blending together spices. Making broth from the odds and ends. On some occasions rendering bacon fat, and other times going with a vegetable oil. Bringing everything together steadily and with pauses.
Sometimes there is music on, but very often there’s enough going on in my mind, creating a symphony although on the outside it would appear as though I’m working in silence. I don’t talk to myself either when I’m making dishes like this that I’m familiar with, I just move with it steadily.
As the greens start to come together and blend, it begins to create dancing vapors from the broth. Vapors that one could imagine are the ancestors reincarnated. I like to think that the vapors and pot liquor from collard greens give me superpowers of some sort, both from the ancestors and the naturally occurring nutrients.
I remember when I was little my mom would say that I was going to be the healthiest of my siblings because I loved drinking the pot liquor from the greens she made. It was her attempt to get my siblings to drink it too, but my siblings detested it for the most part. I can’t say I felt my ancestors, or even knew that word, when I was little, but I certainly enjoyed the sensation of the savory, brown liquid warming my chest. It didn’t hurt to get verbal approval from my mom.
I still love the flavor of braised greens, whether they’re collards, mustards, turnips, or cabbage, and have to try really hard to control my facial expressions when people rave over eating them raw. Of course, to each their own. For me though, it’s all about allowing the greens time to simmer and marinate with the spices, fat, vinegars, and hot sauce for as long as they need to fully mingle.
My beloved Grandma Stansberry typically cooked greens with ham hock, and boiled the greens first. She would often prepare this for large family gatherings that included my siblings, my parents, their siblings and cousins and tons of other people I could hardly keep up with. So there were tons of greens to process (e.g. clean, chop, etc.) and the process could take days.
My mom changed the recipe to use either bacon or turkey neck, and cut out the boiling to simply sauté and braise the greens. She would cook this for me, my seven siblings, and our dad, similar to my grandma, on the holidays or weekends.
If I have time on my hands (e.g. spending the holidays alone) I make a fusion-style of my grandma (pre-boiling) and mom’s (bacon instead of ham hock) recipes, because it makes me feel close to my family. So this recipe is my own revision that I began preparing as a busy, young adult in NYC, with my mom and grandma in mind.
It’s just as thoughtfully flavored and prepared, minus the pork, turkey, and multiple-day preparation. I like to eat dark leafy greens about 2-3 times a week and typically go with this adaption at least once a week, and the tender greens and broth (aka potlikker/pot liquor) really heals my body. It’s also my go-to for a friendsgiving or get together if my friends aren’t already demanding me to bring cornbread.
(portion of this piece was originally written in my The Soul of Food recipe booklets)
The Receipt - Grandma’s New Smokey Braised Greens
Serving Size: 8
Ingredients:
4 pounds Collards, stems removed and diced small, and leaves cut into ½” strips
2 medium Yellow Onions, medium dice
5 cloves Garlic, minced
4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (Canola or Olive Oil)
1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 - ½ oz. bunch Fresh Oregano or Thyme, minced
3-4 teaspoons Salt, coarse
1-2 teaspoons Black Peppercorns, freshly ground
2 - 4 cups Vegetable Stock or Unsalted Broth
A heavy splash White Vinegar
A splash Hot Sauce + more for serving
Step to it:
In a large, deep sauté pan heat your olive oil over medium-high heat. Add your onions, collard stems, and garlic, stirring until aromatic. Add oregano, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until onions and stems are beginning to soften and becoming translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
Add in your collard leaves, folding them under the onions and stems, and once there’s a little more room in the pan add in vegetable broth. Stir and cook until leaves have shrunken a little, season with a little salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer. Add in vinegar and hot sauce and stir to combine. Cover pan with a vented lid and cook until greens become tender, about 35-40 minutes. Remove the lid and taste the greens, adding more seasonings as needed. Enjoy!
