New Years Day Black Eyed Peas
What? Today is not New Years?? I know, I know…. But that is just my luck. I spent time working on this post for you and then couldn’t get any cooperation from my exceedingly slow internet and my rural country router. Well here it is, still yummy, and still sure to bring you luck for the year.
What is your traditional New Years Days food?
In my corner of the world, we grew up eating black-eyed peas to bring us luck and collard greens to bring us money. I wanted to tell you about both but since I no longer live near the south, I couldn’t find a produce department near by that knew what collards were. So let me tell you a little about the peas.
Black-eyed peas are in the mung bean family and are much like cowpeas. These spotted little peas are creamy and earthy and best cooked with copious amount of pork product. I always want fresh beans but if I cannot find them, then I grab frozen, dried or canned peas in that order of preference.
To increase my chances of luck and prosperity I am making a humongoid pot of BEP’s.
While not necessary, I like to soak my bep’s. Soak dried peas by covering them with water and allowing to rest overnight. Drain them before cooking.
I still have no cooking range so these are crock-pot peas. For a chance to develop more flavor, begin by browning the veggies and adding them to the simmering peas and ham.
Combine in a large crock-pot:
- large smoked ham hock
- 1 med onion, diced
- 1carrot, diced
- ¼ med green pepper, diced
- 2 stalk celery, chopped.
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1T parsley
- 1T paprika
- 1t oregano
- 1t thyme
- 1lb black eyed peas, soaked and drained
- cayenne (optional)
- salt and pepper
- 3-5c water or pork broth
- *optional extra ham or other smoked meat product
Add water or pork broth to cover the peas by half an inch. Simmer the crock-pot on high for 6 hours or until the beans are soft and the ham hock falls apart. Add additional chopped ham and allow to warm thoroughly.
Serve the lucky black-eyed peas with collard greens, rice, cornbread, and hot sauce.
Happy New Year!
Nancy Warner 
I knew I forgot something on New Year’s day! This is what we always ate too when I was growing up–in the South! My Mom always made black-eyed peas with ham and rice. Is this not called Hoppin’ John?
Yes and no Joni. Yes, it is essentially the same meal on the plate but I do not call this Hoppin’ John because the rice was not simmered with the peas & ham. To make this into Hoppin’ John, I would add tomatoes, a bay leaf, and rice to simmer together for the last 25 minutes.
Tall Dark and Handsome always wants rice, I rarely do, so we make them separately.