Collard Greens & Black Eyed Peas, Holiday Food for the Soul

black eyed peas

🥗Healthier: lentils

💰Cheaper: canned beans

Lentils are lower in calories and provide similar texture.

ham hock

🥗Healthier: smoked turkey leg

💰Cheaper: bacon

Smoked turkey leg adds flavor with less fat.

Welcome to Yol's Kitchen, where we will make collard greens and black-eyed peas for New Year's.

Gather smoked meat: ham hocks, smoked turkey necks, and a smoked turkey leg.

Chop onion, garlic (4 cloves), yellow pepper, and 2 stalks of celery very finely for flavor.

Boil the smoked meat for about 2 hours on medium heat, then discard the first water to keep the flavors.

Render bacon fat from cooked bacon to use for sautéing vegetables.

Add chopped vegetables to the bacon fat and cook until translucent.

Season the cooking liquid with garlic powder, onion powder, complete seasoning, crushed red pepper, Cajun seasoning, accent, black pepper, and half a packet of chicken bouillon.

Stir the liquid and taste for seasoning before adding the meat back in.

Place the smoked turkey necks and turkey leg into the seasoned liquid.

Wash, pick, and cut collard greens into fine pieces, keeping some stems.

Add the collard greens to the pot, packing them in as they will break down with steam.

Add a small onion on top of the greens, cover, and cook on medium-high heat until greens are submerged and softened.

For the black-eyed peas, soak them in hot water for about 2 hours, discarding any that float.

Separate the liquid from the ham hocks and add it back to the pot with the black-eyed peas after the vegetables have sweated down.

Heat bacon grease in the pot before adding the vegetables to sweat them down until almost translucent.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens