Sunday Collards

Pour the oil into an 8-quart stockpot over medium-high heat and swirl it around so it covers the bottom. Score the ham hock with a small sharp knife, and when the oil begins to shimmer, set it in the pot. Sear the hock all over as best you can and allow it to render some fat, about 6 minutes (since a hocks shape is so oblique, it will become spottily browned, but that is fine).

Pour the water into the pot; it will hiss and pop for a few seconds.

Add the chiles and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, until the stock is deeply flavored with smoke and spiciness.

Add a few handfuls of the collards to the pot. The greens will float on the surface, so stir them frequently, submerging them with the spoon, until they have turned a bright Kelly green (3 to 5 minutes) and become floppier and more compact, so you can add more handfuls. Continue adding handfuls of collards, stirring and submerging them, until all the greens are in the pot (6 to 10 minutes). Turn the heat to low and simmer very gently for 1 hour. The greens will be a very dark matte green and completely tender.

We save leftover collard greens in their liquor in the refrigerator, because with strategic additions of canned tomatoes, beans, onions, or potatoes, they become the foundations for terrific soups. Our hands-down favorite is collard greens egg-drop soup, which we make by reheating leftover greens and liquor in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and gently cracking into them 2 eggs for every 2 cups of leftover greens and liquor (one large serving will be exactly that size). We simmer the soup until the eggs are just poached, about 8 minutes. If you prefer your yolks made harder, you can continue cooking the soup until the eggs are done to your liking, about 3 minutes for a yolk with a hard exterior and a soft center 5 minutes for a yolk that is completely hard-cooked.

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