A symbol of fortune, hope and luck for the upcoming year, black-eyed peas and cabbage are what’s on the New Year’s Day menu. As tradition dictates, the eating of black-eyed peas is the culinary insurance policy one must take out for good luck in the upcoming year. I’m sharing three pea something for everyone’s traditional and new-traditional taste recipes with you.
Traditional
New-Traditional
Y’all!
Smoky Black-eyed Peas with Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups fresh black-eyed peas
2 Smoked Ham Hocks or purchased smoked ham hocks
1 (12-oz.) bottle amber beer
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 (7-oz.) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain white cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 large firm green tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
Canola oil
3 large ripe red tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
1/2 cup crumbled feta or Cotija cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Hot sauce
Directions
Sauté onions in 3 Tbsp. hot oil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in peas, next 4 ingredients, 3 1/2 cups water, and 2 Tbsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers. (Reserve peppers for another use.) Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes or until peas are tender. Discard bay leaf. Remove hocks. Remove ham from bones; discard bones. Chop ham; stir into peas. Add salt to taste; cover and keep warm over low heat.
Stir together 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk together cornmeal, ground chipotle chile, and remaining 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a second shallow dish. Whisk together eggs and buttermilk in a third shallow dish.
Dredge green tomatoes, 1 slice at a time, in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.
Pour oil to depth of 1 inch in a cast-iron skillet. Heat over medium-high heat to 375°. Fry green tomato slices, in batches, in hot oil 3 minutes on each side or until crisp. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels. (Let oil temperature return to 375° between batches.)
Divide peas among 6 plates. Top each with 1 red tomato slice and 1 fried green tomato slice. Repeat tomato layers once. Sprinkle cheese and cilantro over tomatoes. Serve with hot sauce.
~Southern Living
For the binge watchers, couch trenders and let’s say we prepared a traditional New Year’s Day culinary extravaganza but actually do nothing but snack crowd, this recipe will cover all the bases, luck included.
Chili-Roasted Black Eyed Peas
Ingredients
2 (15.8-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 17- x 12-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until crispy and dry, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes.
Cabbage enters into the picture of prosperity as the money dish, as it is believed the leafy greens symbolize folding money. One would be hard-pressed not to find black-eyed peas, cabbage and buttermilk cornbread cooking in the New Year’s Day kitchen. As a Southerner, I do not question the New Year’s Day menu or the Southern superstition(s) nor will I buck this time honored tradition.
In the words of Aunt Pittypat Hamilton, “It simply isn’t done!”
Classic Buttermilk Coleslaw
Ingredients
1 (16 ounce bag) coleslaw mix
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Combine all of the ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Adjust seasoning, if desired. Chill until ready to serve. This can be made about two hours in advance, but any longer and it will lose its crunch and may become tinted from the purple cabbage.
Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons oil
2 cups buttermilk self -rising white corn meal mix
1 cup self-rising flour
½ Tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
Directions
Set oven to 425 degrees. Preheat oven while preparing cornbread mix. Mix corn meal and flour into mixing bowl. Stir in milk and eggs and mix well. Batter should be a medium thick consistency. Thin by adding additional milk until desired consistency is reached. Grease baking pan or oven safe skillet(preferably a black cast iron skillet) with 3 Tablespoons cooking oil. Bottom of pan or skillet should be coated well but not swimming in oil. Place pan in oven to heat oil. Once oil is heated, remove pan from oven. Pour batter into greased pan. Return pan or skillet to oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
~Places In The Home
I want to thank you the readers, visitors and subscribers of Places In The Home. Every heartfelt comment, Facebook like, tweet, instagram follow and kind word means so much to me. The New Year brings more anticipation, excitement and decor inspiration to Places In The Home. I want to invite you to visit often, chime in, and let me know what you think. We will design with beauty and style in mind, make pretty on a penny, source, create and suggest. I raise a gorgeous goblet to toast happiness, health, family, love, peace, prosperity and friendship to all throughout the New Year!
