CLASSIC COLLARDS
- 3 large bunches (about 2 pounds) collards or turnip greens, trimmed of coarse stems
- 4 ounces fatback, rinsed well to remove excess salt, then quartered
- ÂĽ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 to 1½ cups water, if needed
Instructions:
Choose tender young collards if you can find them; they won’t need a full hour to cook, perhaps only 30 or 40 minutes. Traditionalists, however, like their greens “well done.”
- Remove the coarse central veins from the collard leaves, then stack 4 or 5 leaves  together and slice crosswise at 1-inch intervals. When all of the greens have been prepared, wash them well in several changes of cool water.
-  Pile the greens in a large nonreactive kettle, add the fatback and pepper, cover, and cook over moderate heat 15 minutes. Stir and if the greens seem dry, add 1 cup of the water. Cover again and cook 15 minutes more. Stir and if most of the water has evaporated, add the final ½ cup. Note: Young collards and turnip greens may be done after 30 minutes.
- If the greens are not good and soft, cover again and cook 15 to 30 minutes longer.
- Serve in soup bowls with plenty of “pot likker.” Accompany with fresh-baked corn bread and a cruet of cider vinegar to drizzle over the greens.