Joe Weaver's Seasoned Greens

Black Family Dinner Quilt Cookbook
Fireside

• 3 pounds mustard greens
• 1 ham hock
• 8 cups water
• 2 teaspoons Crisco shortening or oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can whole tomatoes, drained & coarsely chopped, (14 1/2 oz)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Clean greens. Remove thick stalks. Roll leaves. Slice.

Combine ham hock and water in Dutch oven. Place on medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until liquid has been reduced to about 3 cups. Add greens to Dutch oven. Cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover. Simmer 30 minutes.

Heat Crisco in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute 10 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir tomato mixture into greens when almost done and most of the liquid has evaporated. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until greens are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Mustard Greens & Red Potatoes

• 4 to 5 medium red potatoes, quartered
• 4 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 4 cups (about 1 pound) shredded mustard greens

Steam or boil potatoes until just tender; cool and slice. Melt butter (and bacon drippings, if using) in a large heavy skillet over medium heat; add potatoes and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until mushrooms are tender and potatoes are heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add greens and stir until wilted, about 1 minute.

Serves 4.

Old South Mustard Greens
 

4 cups water

2 smoked ham hocks

2 pounds mustard greens

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Cider vinegar 

Put ham hocks in large pot of water and bring to a boil.
Cook over medium to high heat for about 1 hour.
Wash greens and remove large, tough stems.
Add greens to the water and ham hocks and cook over medium heat for at least 3 hours.  You can add more greens as they cook down.
Take out ham hocks and remove meat from bone.
Add meat back into the greens.
Season greens with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Serve with cider vinegar. 

Mustard Greens

2 1/2 lbs mustard greens, washed and chopped into 1-in. pieces
6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup chopped onions (optional)
1 or 2 dashes cider or red wine vinegar

In a pot large enough to cook the greens, fry bacon.  Add the greens
along with onions (optional) Cook, stirring with wooden spoon,
until greens are coated with fat.  Cover the greens with water and
season with salt.

Bring to boil.  Cover the pot, reduce heat, and simmer until tender.
Stir occasionally and add water if they threaten to scorch.  When
done, increase heat to med-high, stir often.  Boil off nearly all
the cooking liquid.

Add vinegar.  Season with salt, pepper and sugar.  Serve very hot.

Mustard Greens and Ham Hocks
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 pounds mustard greens or collard greens
2 pounds green cabbage
3  or 4 ham hocks
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (helps cut acidity in veggies)
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
4 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled cut into quarters

Directions

Wash the greens thoroughly and drain them by shaking off any
excess water.  Remove the very thick part of the stems from
the greens and coarsely chop the leaves.  Cut the cabbage into
quarters and cut the core from the cabbage pieces.  Coarsely
chop the cabbage and set aside. Put the ham hocks and enough
cold water to cover them in a Dutch oven over high heat. Heat
to boiling (about 5 to 7 minutes) then reduce to simmering,
and cook the hocks, covered, until almost tender, about 1-1/2
hours. Stir in the chopped greens, salt, pepper, sugar, and
thyme. Cook about 30 minutes on medium heat. Add the
cabbage and potatoes and cook until all vegetables are tender,
about 30 minutes. Check the seasonings and serve hot.