Slow-braised collard greens with smoked turkey and cornbread
Large collard green leaves cooked down for hours with a piece of smoked turkey until tender and silky, served with golden, crispy cornbread to sop up the flavorful juice called 'pot likker'.
Large collard green leaves cooked down for hours with a piece of smoked turkey until tender and silky, served with golden, crispy cornbread to sop up the flavorful juice called 'pot likker'.
At our house, on Sundays after church, my grandmother would put the pot of greens on first thing in the morning — it simmered while the house filled with people and music. You can't rush it, I swear: the longer it cooks, the better it is, and the juice at the bottom, the pot likker, that's the treasure — you dip your cornbread in it. It's simple, it's love on a plate, and it takes me straight back home.
- •Collard greens — two large bunches (base vegetable, long-simmered)
- •Smoked turkey wing or leg — one nice piece (signature smoky umami)
- •Onion — one (aromatic base)
- •Apple cider vinegar — a splash (brightening acidity)
- •Cornmeal — enough for one loaf (accompanying cornbread)
Slow-braised collard greens with smoked turkey and cornbread
Large collard green leaves cooked down for hours with a piece of smoked turkey until tender and silky, served with golden, crispy cornbread to sop up the flavorful juice called 'pot likker'.
Why this dish? Raised between Brooklyn and Detroit in an African American family, Aaliyah grew up with these Sunday family gatherings where the soul food table brought everyone together. Smoked collard greens are THE memory dish of this culture.
At our house, on Sundays after church, my grandmother would put the pot of greens on first thing in the morning — it simmered while the house filled with people and music. You can't rush it, I swear: the longer it cooks, the better it is, and the juice at the bottom, the pot likker, that's the treasure — you dip your cornbread in it. It's simple, it's love on a plate, and it takes me straight back home.
Ingredients (period version)
- Collard greens — two large bunches (base vegetable, long-simmered)
- Smoked turkey wing or leg — one nice piece (signature smoky umami)
- Onion — one (aromatic base)
- Apple cider vinegar — a splash (brightening acidity)
- Cornmeal — enough for one loaf (accompanying cornbread)
Ingredients
- Collard greens or kale — 800 g, stemmed and sliced (base vegetable)
- Smoked turkey leg — 1 (about 400 g) (signature smoky)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (aromatic)
- Chicken broth — 1 liter (cooking liquid)
- Apple cider vinegar — 2 tbsp (final acidity)
- Cornmeal — 200 g (cornbread)
- Buttermilk, egg, butter — for the batter (cornbread binder)
Method
- Sauté the onion, add smoked turkey and broth, simmer 45 min to flavor the liquid.
- Add the sliced greens and simmer covered for 1 to 1.5 hours, until tender.
- Shred the smoked meat into the pot, adjust salt, finish with a splash of apple cider vinegar.
- For the cornbread: mix cornmeal, egg, buttermilk, and melted butter; pour into a greased pan and bake at 200°C for 25 min.
- Serve the greens and their 'pot likker' with a slice of cornbread for sopping.
How it was made : Smoked collard greens come from the kitchens of African Americans in the South, who made use of hardy greens and inexpensive cuts of meat (smoked ham hocks, turkey wings). During the Great Migration of the 20th century, millions of families carried this cuisine to Northern cities like Detroit, where Aaliyah grew up.
The contemporary twist : Serve the pot likker separately in a small cup, like a broth to sip before a bite of greens.
Sources : Adrian Miller, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, 2013 · Jessica B. Harris, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, 2011
Aaliyah · Charactorium