Instructions

1. Wash your greens thoroughly and place them in a colander to drain. Soul food relies on greens more than any other vegetable, especially tough and flavorful greens like collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens and kale. Use a mixture to get the most flavor. In the South this is called “a mess o’greens.”

2. Slice the ends off the greens and discard. Separate the leaves and stack them one atop the other. Roll the stacks and slice across them so that you have long, wide strips of greens.

3. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until you can smell it. Add ham hocks, chopped bacon or smoked chicken wings. Cook them until they turn brown and crisp on the outside.

4. Stir in the chopped onion and cook it, stirring often, until it just starts to brown at the edges. Lower the heat. Stir in the garlic. Add the greens and stir them well to coat them with the oil and drippings.

5. Pour in just enough chicken broth to cover the greens. Stir it well to mix everything together. Turn the heat back up to medium-high.

6. Season the pot with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce, dried mustard and coriander to taste. Don’t be shy with the spices; soul food is packed with flavor.

7. Bring the chicken broth to a boil, cover the pot and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook the greens for at least an hour to let the flavors develop and deepen.

8. Remove the ham hocks or chicken wings. Serve the greens with the broth -- called “pot likker” -- and with hot cornbread for sopping up the broth.