Potlikker Soup with Greens

The potlikker is the treasure. That's what people miss when they throw it down the drain. All those vitamins, all that smoky pork flavor, all the essence of the greens themselves: it lives in that dark, murky broth. My grandmother Evangeline kept a pot of greens going on the back of the stove most winter days, and she'd ladle the potlikker into cups for us children like it was the elixir of life. She wasn't wrong.

This soup celebrates what Southern cooks have known for generations: the cooking liquid is not waste. It's the whole point. You take a smoked ham hock, some sturdy collard greens, and you let time do its work. The collagen from the hock melts into the broth, giving it body. The greens release their minerals and their slight bitterness, which plays against the smoke and salt of the pork. By the time you're done, you've got a soup that warms you from the inside out.

At Lagniappe, we serve this on New Year's Day alongside black-eyed peas and rice. Tradition says greens bring money in the coming year, the peas bring luck. I don't know about all that, but I do know this soup brings comfort. That's enough magic for me.

The technique is simple, but you've got to respect the timing. Season the broth as you build it. Taste throughout. And for heaven's sake, serve it with cornbread. A bowl of potlikker without cornbread for dunking is like a handshake without the grip.