Southern Collard Greens - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 quarts water
1 1/2 pounds ham hocks
4 pounds collard greens, rinsed and trimmed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Place the water and the ham hock in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to very low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
Add the collards and the hot pepper flakes the pot. Simmer covered for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add the vegetable oil and simmer covered for 30 minutes.