Beans & Greens for a Frosty Night

Southern Style Greens

(starting from a recipe from SimplyRecipes)

4 to 6 servings

You can use any kinds of greens: collards, kale, chard, turnip. Collards and curly kale take longer; adjust cooking time accordingly.

Ingredients

4 strips fatty bacon

1 medium onion, sliced from root to tip

1 ham hock (smoked is best, but optional)

2 garlic cloves, smashed

4 cups chicken stock

1 to 2 cups water

8 to 10 cups (about 2 pounds) stemmed, cleaned, and chopped collard greens

Salt to taste

Vinegar and hot sauce to taste

Fry the bacon in a large pot over medium-high heat. Reserve the bacon when done.

Sauté the onion in the rendered fat, stirring often, until the edges begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the ham hock, smashed garlic, chicken stock, and water, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour.

Add the greens and reserved bacon. You may need to add the greens a couple handsful at a time, pushing them down into the liquid. Don’t worry about the time this takes; it’s flexible. Cook, partially covered, until they are tender, another 45 minutes to an hour (or longer; "until tender" is the main point here, and I prefer my greens well-cooked).

When greens are tender, reduce to lowest heat. Remove the ham hock (cover the pot again) and allow to cool. Pull the meat off the bones, remove the connective tissue and such, and chop. Mix the meat back with the greens.

Taste and season with salt, if needed. Serve with vinegar and hot sauce at the table.

Great Aunt Bert’s Baked Limas

Some of my favorite memories of family reunions on my mother’s side: the iced tea (put up in 10 gallon batches, and just sweet enough), Aunt Grace’s chocolate cake, and Aunt Bert’s baked lima beans. I’d fill a third of my plate with them: flavor-packed and creamy-done. I think my sister wheedled the recipe out of her.

Ingredients

2 lbs. dried large lima beans (soaked and parboiled)

1 medium chopped onion

5 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup molasses (This seems like a lot; don’t hesitate.)

1/2 cup ketchup (Same here!)

2 cups tomato juice (Yes; not an alternative to the ketchup, you need both.)

1/2 lb. bacon

Soak lima beans overnight.

Preheat oven to 300°. Drain beans, then parboil: place in pot (a large Dutch oven, if you have one, saves a step) and cover with water an inch over the beans. Bring to a gentle boil, hold for 15 minutes.

While that’s boiling, mix together all other ingredients (except bacon). When beans are done, drain water. If you have the large Dutch oven, add the mixed ingredients and combine thoroughly. If not, pour beans and mixed ingredients into an appropriate-sized roasting pan and combine. Cut bacon into 2-inch pieces and place over beans.

Bake, covered, for 90 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes. Take out and let cool for about ten minutes before serving.