Denver Post food writer Ellen Sweets knows this recipe by heart and she’s happy to help the rest of us learn how to celebrate the New Year with a fragrant bowl of black-eyed peas. Southern tradition suggests that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings luck and prosperity in the new year. Add a side of greens – meant to symbolize folding money – and your prospects get even better. You can eat your peas as a side dish or over a pile of long-grain white rice. Either way, it’s a delicious way to ring in the new year.
New Year’s Black-Eyed Peas
You can do all your own chopping or default to the freezer section for diced peppers and onions; either way, save yourself some hours by using frozen black-eyed peas. This recipe serves 6 but can be doubled easily. It’s best made the night before and warmed up before serving, but still tastes great if you cook it and consume it on the same day.
Ingredients
- 1 large smoked ham hock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon celery seeds
- 1 pound frozen black-eyed peas
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup grated carrot
- 3 garlic cloves, minced fine
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Chicken stock as needed
- 3 cups cooked long-grained white rice
Directions
Place ham hock, bay leaf and celery seeds in a large stockpot that has a tight-fitting cover and fill with 3 quarts water. Bring water to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until meat falls away from the bone, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove hock and set aside to cool. Add black-eyed peas and cook for about 30 minutes. Add onion, bell peppers, celery, carrot and garlic and return the pot to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 30 minutes.Stir in pepper flakes, poultry seasoning and thyme. Pick ham from bones and tear into pieces and add to the pot. If more liquid is needed, add chicken stock, a half-cup at a time. Serve over 1/2 cup cooked rice.
