Kyle’s Kitchen
Since February is Black History Month, let's cook some soul food this week. But don’t worry, these recipes aren't mine. I found them all on websites run by Black people. Mom's side of the family never made greens of any kind, so mom never learned how to make them. I think she wrote about it in the paper and then Miss Artie Williams started bringing over a big pot for dad to eat.
Collard Greens
1-1/2 lb smoked ham hocks 2 large bunches of collard greens, at least 10 leaves per bunch 2 quarts water 1 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp hot sauce Pepper to taste 1 tsp smoked paprika 2 tsp chicken bouillon 5 tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 tbsp white vinegar 3 cloves garlic Fill a large pot with about two quarts of water over high heat. Add the smoked meat and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil cover, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and prep your collard greens. Take the greens and cut off the stems on the bottom. Then take the larger greens, fold in half and rip off the stems. The larger stems can make the greens bitter, but I leave them on the smaller sized leaves.
Then stack some of the leaves on top of each other and tightly roll. Next, cut the rolled up greens into one inch thick ribbons. Place in a bowl and clean with water and vinegar to ensure any dirt and grit is off of the greens.
Roll them up and cut into one-inch slices. Add the greens to the pot with the broth and stir in.
Once the greens are slightly wilted add in all the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for at least an hour or until the meat and greens are very tender.
Remove the bones from the meat and break up the meat into smaller pieces. Add the meat back into the pot with the greens and stir. Taste and see if you'd like to add any more seasonings.
—kwc— I think we've already done smot hered pork chops, so here is a recipe for chicken thighs.
Smothered Chicken Thighs 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp paprika 1-1/2 tsp seasoned salt 1 tsp black pepper 3 lbs chicken thighs bonein, skin-on 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1-1/2 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup heavy cream Freshly-chopped parsley, optional garnish Combine the all-purpose flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, seasoned salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish or plate. Mix until well combined. Place the chicken in the mixture and coat it evenly on both sides. Set the chicken aside and save the seasoned flour for later.
Heat a large pan over medium- high heat and add in the olive oil. Once heated, add the chicken thighs and cook each side for 4-6 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.
Add in the but ter and onions and sauté until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1 minute.
Add the seasoned flour to the pan, stir, and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly stir in the chicken broth.
Place the chicken back into the pan along with any juices from resting on the plate earlier. Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer, covered, for about 25-28 minutes or until cooked through and tender.
Remove the lid and add heavy cream to the pan and stir the cream into the gravy.
Remove from heat and ser ve. Top with parsley if desired.
—kwc— This recipe is interesting because you don't boil the sweet potatoes first. They are baked in the oven in a sweet syrup.
Baked Candied Yams
3 to 3-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes 6 cups cool water for soaking the yams 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter 1/2 cup brown sugar light or dark 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp maple syrup 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups mini a ture marshmallows for topping, optional Spray or grease your baking or casserole dish with butter, set it aside, and preheat the oven to 350.
Wash, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into thick approximately 1/2' round wedges. Then, set them aside to soak in a bowl of cool water to prevent browning while preparing the candied yam syrup.
Melt the butter in a medium- sized bowl in the microwave.
Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, ginger, ground clove, and vanilla extract to the melted butter.
Mix the ingredients well to create the syrup glaze for the candied yams.
Next, drain the sweet potato rounds in a colander. Add the sweet potatoes to the pregreased baking dish. Pour the syrup glaze over the sweet potatoes.
Cover the baking dish with its lid or foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350.
Remove the baked candied yams from the oven and baste them with the pan syrup. Then cover and bake again for another 10 minutes.
Once the baking time is complete, uncover the yams and, optionally, sprinkle miniature marshmallows over the cooked candied yams.
Once the marshmallows are melted, serve this Southern baked candied yam recipe right away, and enjoy.
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