Juicy Smothered Greens

Cut up the bacon into little squares and put them in a stock pot, Dutch oven, or other cooking pot with a lid. Fry the bacon on medium-high heat to render the fat.

Then, lower the heat a bit and cook the celery, pepper and onions until the veggies are soft and the onion translucent (Note: If you're a vegetarian, you can use olive oil to saute instead).

Cut up the leaves into one-inch-wide strips and remove the stems from the middle, because the stems don't cook-down easily. Turn down the heat to medium and slowly add your greens as the leaves wilt, occasionally turning from the bottom. Initially you won't be able to fit all the greens in your pot, but eventually they will cook down.

Add ham hocks and vinegar and cover the pot with a lid. The vinegar takes out some of the bitterness of the greens. You might taste the greens to get a sense of how bitter they are and adjust the vinegar you add accordingly.

Cover, reduce heat to low-medium and let the greens cook down more for about ten or fifteen minutes. Then season with your Creole seasoning and pepper to taste.

Add about two or three cups of water and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer the greens for about an hour and a half longer.