This leafy green is so well-known that you can call it by its first name—collards. Cooking it means getting down to business slow and low, seasoning it with full-flavored foods like pork and bacon, adding in spices like salt and pepper, and bringing in just the right amounts of heat. While cooking collard greens can sometimes be a little off the beaten path, Southerners can’t imagine a comforting meal, or New Year's dinner, without them.