A Big Mess O'Greens

Ingredients:
2 lb mustard greens
2 quarts chicken or turkey stock
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 smoked turkey legs
2 habanero peppers, seeded, stemmed and sliced
2 onions, diced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:

First, remove the stems from the greens and tear them into small pieces. Rinse thoroughly. I suggest rinsing then running them through a salad spinner because they are often quite sandy.



In a large (at least 8 quart) pot, heat the oil. Saute the onions, garlic, peppers, thyme and bay leaves until just golden, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, turkey legs, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil, skimming off anything that rises to the surface. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Remove the turkey legs and pick off all of the meat. Reserve the meat, discard the bones.



Add the greens, return to a boil. Stir so all of the greens are coated in broth and starting to wilt. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, adding the turkey back in during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Serve hot with crusty bread for sopping up the juices.

Yield: approximately 10 servings

My thoughts:

Matt made these for dinner early this month and they were so good, he made them again! A little different than the typical collards, we use mustard greens (less bitter/grainy) and meaty smoked turkey legs (instead of the more typical ham hocks) for a really delicious side dish. It is so good and even holds up well for leftovers the next day. Just make sure you don't forget to sop up (or just straight up drink!) the the pot likker, the tasty juice that leeches from the greens. In my opinion, that is the best part.