Many moons ago, a good friend shared her secret for perfect collard greens with me—the deli at the Mount Pleasant Piggly Wiggly, where local women working there were renowned for their smoky, pork studded braised greens. Around the holidays, shoppers put their orders in early to ensure they brought home hefty containers for the family table. Besides being just plain delicious, pairing nutrition-packed collards with Hoppin’ John is an annual tradition in the South believed to bring good fortune.

These days, I cook my own collards using a vegetarian recipe anyone can eat and which everyone loves. It yields a dish that’s rich with tangy flavor, and almost as easy as picking up, already prepped, the dish at the neighborhood market. Best of all, my daughter has embraced collards in her kitchen, carrying forward the luck-bringing culinary tradition—a particularly good thing since the Piggly Wiggly and those wonderful deli ladies are no more.

INGREDIENTS

good olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped

2 pounds greens, stems removed and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon pepper

hot sauce like Crystal, to taste

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup stock plus extra if needed

PREPARATION

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the onion, cooking gently until translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute, then add the greens, stirring and coating with the oil mixture for a few minutes, watching the greens to avoid sticking.

Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring to combine, lower the heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional stock if necessary.