For Good Luck ☘️
🎉In The New Year! 🎊
“Eat Poor On New Years Day,
Be Rich💰For The Rest Of The Year”
Black Eyed Peas and Ham 🐷 for good luck in the New Year! I’ve been making this every year for at least 25 years. A few times, I couldn’t make it myself, but we found a way to get a dish somewhere else. This has honestly become a favorite meal. We only make it once each year and we really look forward to it. When I’m especially fortunate, I have a “Honey Baked” Ham Bone 🍖 to use as well. This is one of those years! I really can’t imagine New Years Day without a batch of this warm and hearty Black Eyed Peas and Ham with collard Greens. Give it a try this year, and let me know if your good luck 🍀 sores in the new year too.
Tasty Good Fortune – Black Eyed Peas and Ham
The tradition goes back as far as 1500 years, but the one I am familiar with is the southern staple. “Eat poor on New Years Day, Be Rich (or Eat Rich) for the rest of the year.” Since I am crazy superstitious by nature, I have to keep up the tradition or who knows what type of calamity may lay ahead! The legend says that the peas symbolize coins, the greens represent the color of money and the golden cornbread symbolizes gold. Ham is just for good measure and delicious flavor 😋.
I make the soup on New Years Eve day and it’s the first bite of food we eat either after midnight 🕛🍾 . (Hah, well that doesn’t really happen around here, as we are usually sound asleep by midnight 😴😴) or we take a bite before breakfast on New Years morning. Then of course, we continue to eat this incredible soup all day long.
Honey Baked Ham 🍯 🐖
From the very first time I made this with a “Honey Baked” ham bone, it was hard to go a year without one.
The sweet honey baked ham 🐖adds a lot of flavor. However, sometimes I just don’t have one. The cost of a “Honey Baked” ham usually completely defeats the “eat poor” portion of the tradition, they are very expensive! I’m usually lucky enough that I am gifted the ham bone from the one we have for our annual Thanksgiving office lunch (I beg). We’ve bought just the ham bone a few times from the Honey Baked store but, to be honest, when they sell it to you, it really is just the bone. They are quite skilled at getting all the ham off the bone. It’s almost not really worth the trip to buy it. But if you have one with some meat still on, oh my, it is divine!
If no Honey Baked Ham, I use ham hocks and a few ham steaks from the grocery store. Don’t let me steer you wrong, it’s still a delicious and hearty New Years Day meal! The ham hocks cook low and slow imparting the delicious smokey flavor that makes Black Eyed Peas and Ham so irresistible.
The Peas (Symbolic Of Coins) 💰
I make this with dried black eyed peas. If you do, just follow the instructions for soaking the beans overnight or the fast soak method shown on the package.
The most important part is the wash the beans. Then after cooking be sure and rinse the beans before adding them to the soup. The beans should be tender after cooking them and before adding them to the soup. If you want a really quick way to make this soup, substitute with frozen black-eyed peas. They are pre-cooked and work perfectly as well as dried.
My Recipe For Good Luck 🍀
Chop one large onion and a whole stock of celery. By the way, never throw out the leaves. I can’t believe I’ve spent most of my life throwing away the best part. The flavor is in the leaves, so chop them up and add them as well.
Next, chop about 3-4 medium-sized carrots. Very finely chop 3 cloves of garlic, or even better, mince the garlic on a rasp.
Into a large heavy bottomed dutch oven (or the best pot you have for cooking low and slow) add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to melt on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds then add the chopped vegetables. Sauté until they are translucent and just starting to take on color. Add the ham bone or the ham hocks and stir together.
After about 2 minutes, add 8 cups of vegetable, beef or chicken stock to cover the vegetables and the bone or hocks. If more liquid is needed, add some water.
A Long, Slow Simmer
Let the soup simmer until the meat is falling off the bone or the ham hocks. I let it simmer for about 3-4 hours before the next steps.
Remove the ham hocks or the bones. Next, add 1 tablespoon of ground sage and 1 tablespoon of crushed dried thyme leaves. Adjust seasoning by adding a bit of salt. Depending on the type of ham bone used, you may want to start with a teaspoon of salt and adjust as you taste. Add 4 cups of cooked black-eyed peas.
If you are adding extra ham, add that now. I use a ham stake and cut it into cubes.
The Collard Greens (Symbolic Of The Color Of Money) 💴
You can use collard greens or kale for this recipe. Use a large bunch of collards or kale, about 1 1/2 lbs. Wash the greens well and remove the center stems.
Chop or chiffonade, then add to the soup about 20-30 minutes before serving.
Corn Bread (Symbolizes The Color Of Gold) 💰
To make this meal complete, serve with a delicious cornbread.
Here’s a link to my very favorite recipe for cornbread. Believe me, this one is a real winner! https://wp.me/p9KEfL-1p2
Happy New Year 🎊 🎉🍾🥂
I hope it’s a healthy and happy year for you and all the ones you ❤️ ! XO, Karen
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried black Eyed Peas or 4-6 cups frozen
- 4 ham hocks or 1 ham bone
- 1 ham steak, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
- 8 cups vegetable, beef or chicken stock
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dried ground sage
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated on a rasp
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-4 medium sized carrots, chopped
- 1 bunch celery including leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large bunch collard greens or kale (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the Peas
- If you're using dried peas, soak overnight. Follow the directions for soaking on the package, then cook until tender as directed.
- If you're using frozen peas, no preparation is necessary, just add frozen peas as directed below.
For the Soup
- Chop one large onion and a whole stock of celery and leaves. Add 3-4 medium sized chopped carrots. Very finely chop 3-4 cloves of garlic.
- Into a large heavy bottomed dutch oven add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to melt on medium heat.
- Add the garlic and sauté about 30 seconds.
- Add chopped vegetables with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cook until they are translucent and just starting to take on color.
- Add the ham bone or the ham hocks and stir together.
- After about 2 minutes, add 8 cups of vegetable, beef or chicken stock to cover the vegetables and the bone or hocks. If more liquid is needed, add water.
- Let the soup simmer until the meat is falling off the bone or the ham hocks, about 3-4 hours before the next steps.
- Remove the ham hocks or the bones.
- Add the ground ground sage and crushed dried thyme leaves.
- Adjust seasoning by adding a bit of salt.
- Add 4-6 cups of cooked black eyed peas.
- Note: If you are adding extra ham, add that now. I use a ham stake and cut it into cubes.
For The Collard Greens
- You can use collard greens or kale or escarole for this recipe.
- Use a large bunch of collards or kale, about 1 1/2 lbs.
- Wash the greens well and remove the center stems.
- Chop coarsly or chiffonade then add to the soup about 20-30 minutes before serving.
Serve with Cornbread
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
