Are we in the South?

Are we in the South?

I will be honest and say that I was not that excited about this recipe.  Collard greens are something I did not grow up eating.  To be honest, this might be the first or second time I made these.  To me, the name sounds gross.  Sort of like sour cream.  I never would eat it because the name sour cream did not sound appetizing.  Once I ate sour cream, I fell in love.  I sure hoped it would be the case with collard greens because this vegetable is sooooo good for you.

Collard greens is a super food.  Very high in fiber, Vitamin C and K.  Vitamin K is something to watch if you are on any blood thinners.  Just a discloser that it can make your blood thicker.  I don't need anyone having a stroke and blaming it on me because I said collard greens are a super food. Probably the best thing about collard greens is that it is only 49 calories a cup.  Eat it up!!!

I started by getting two bunches/lbs of collard greens, cutting them up and washing them in the sink.  

I then placed two smoked ham hocks in the pot with 3 cups of water.  Ham hocks.... These freaked me out.  What are they exactly?  Are they pigs feet?  I had to go to google to get the scoop. Honestly, what did we do if we needed an answer before the internet.  LOL.  The definition is as followed:

A ham hock (or hough) is the joint between the tibia/fibula and the metatarsals of the foot, where the foot was attached to the hog's leg.

Now that we know it came from an animal, which for some reason is grossing me out more and more,  why do we need it in the recipe.  Basically it is made of bone and cartilage.  Because of this, it needs a long time to break down.  In this recipe it is used for flavor.  I also added a mixture of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar again for flavor.

After that, I placed it into a pot with the top on and into the oven at 250 degrees.  I cooked the pot for 2-3 hours, attempting to "simmer" the collard greens again.  After 3 hours, I placed all the ingredients into a smaller pot and then placed it back into the oven for another 2-3 hours.  The house definitely was getting smelly from the collard greens.  

After 2-3 hours an amazing set of friends called and said, "come over and have dinner".  I was so glad but knew I had to eat this because I didn't want to waste it or have to make it again.  I took the pot out of the oven and opened the top and here is what I saw: 

Well.... what to say?  I was not looking forward to this.  It was a brownish green and the smell intensified when I opened it.  I took a deep breath, put the top back on and put it into the car.  I headed to our friends house and was praying that they would not be grossed out.  These two particular people are AMAZING and are always willing to try it.  I was hoping for no judgement. 

The VERDIT:  The ham hocks were gross and slimy.  We debated if we were suppose to eat it but opted to remove it and throw it away.... in the trash outside.  LOL  We sat down to a nice dinner with a table cloth, real plates and no kids around!  (Thank god for the iPad and Frozen being released that day)  We each took a portion making our comments which shall remain private because they were probably not appropriate and took a bite.  The verdict was that it was edible and even one person took seconds.  :)  The rest went into the trash.  I was not a big fan.  The texture was limp and sort of slimy in my opinion.  To me, I could never get the smell out of my nose and the idea of the ham hocks.  I would not make it again.  Maybe I cooked it too long or maybe I needed to serve it with something else.  Any suggestions?  I would like to force myself to eat it but  it has to be better than this.  Please help???