Happy New Year! There are many food traditions from all over the world regarding New Years, with the American South contributing Hoppin’ John, a bean dish. According to the Farmers Almanac the different components of a traditional New Years meal represent different financial wishes:
“Greens – With their lush green hue, greens (be it collards, mustard, turnip greens or cabbage) greens represent the crisp dollar bills that could fill your wallet in the coming year.
Black-eyed peas with their round form, symbolize shiny coins, hinting at financial windfall.
Cornbread, with its golden exterior, serves as a delicious stand-in for gold, promising wealth.
Pork/Ham – As for the pork (whether ham, bacon, salt pork or fatback) it doesn’t matter whether it is used to add flavor to the Hoppin’ John or the greens, it signifies forward motion and advancement in the upcoming year.”
Here is Seriouseats.com version of Hoppin’ John:
Ingredients:
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 1 medium onion
- 1 1/2 cups black eyed peas (rinsed and sorted, then soaked overnight)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon of salt
- 1 1/2 cups parboiled long grain rice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
- In your Clay Coyote Dutch Oven place the ham hock, bay leaves and quartered onion. Cover with 3 quarts of water
- Bring it to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to keep a low boil and leave the lid slightly ajar. Cook until ham hock is tender, around 3 hours
- Take the meat and skin off the now tender ham hock and cut up any larger pieces, return it to the Dutchie, along with the ham bone, the onions and 2 quarts of the broth cooking liquid
- Drain the black eyed peas from the soaking water, and add them to the pot.
- Add your spices to the Dutchie, and return to a soft boil, with lid slightly ajar again.
- Cook the peas until al dente (around 45 minutes). 15 minutes before the peas are ready, preheat your oven to 350°
- Add your par boiled rice to the pot and mix it in, return to a boil for 1 minute
- Turn off the heat, stir the ingredients to make sure its all mixed well, then cover the Dutchie with lid and place in the oven to cook for 30 minutes
- Remove it from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
- Enjoy your delicious meal and your now lucky New Year 🙂
