THROUGHOUT THE DEEP SOUTH AND MUCH OF Appalachia, pot likker is essentially no more than the vitamin-rich broth left over in a pot of boiled greens or peas cooked with a smoked ham bone, and it is always—I repeat, always—served with cornbread. Arguments flare up about pot likker: Is it one or two words? Can salt pork, bacon, or ham be substituted for the ham bone? Should the cornbread (or cornpone) be dunked or crumbled into the hearty broth for best results? Is it acceptable to serve the greens or peas in the broth, or must the broth stand alone? Do mustard greens, collards, turnip greens, or kale produce the most flavorful pot likker? One of the few restaurants
left in the South where you can still order a bowl or cup of plain, old-fashioned pot likker is Mary Mac’s Tea Room, in Atlanta, but I’ve learned while traveling in rural Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi that almost any diner or roadside café that serves greens will manage to come up with a little pot likker only for the asking. This elaborate pot likker soup, on which I was virtually weaned, must have been my maternal grandmother’s invention, since I’ve never encountered it away from home. Obviously, it’s a meal in itself, and utterly wondrous. If you can’t find crowder peas, just double the quantity of black-eye.

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound fresh turnip greens, rinsed and stems removed
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 cups diced cooked ham
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• 2 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• One 16-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained
• One 16-ounce can crowder peas, drained
• 1 cup water
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Tabasco sauce to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Tear the turnip greens into small pieces and place them in a large pot with enough water to cover.
2. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to moderately low.
3. Cover the pot and cook the greens for 15 minutes.
4. Drain the greens and set them aside.
5. In a separate pot, heat the peanut oil over moderate heat.
6. Add the diced ham, chopped onion, and minced garlic to the pot.
7. Cook the mixture, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
8. Add the cooked turnip greens and all the remaining ingredients to the pot.
9. Stir the ingredients together until well blended.
10. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
11. Let the soup simmer for about 1 hour, stirring from time to time.
12. Season the soup with freshly ground black pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste.
13. Serve the hot turnip greens and ham soup in wide soup bowls.