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Let's Eat for $7.70: Welcome '09 with black-eyed peas

Susan Troller — 12/31/2008 11:44 am

Mike DeVries/The Capital Times

Coupled with collard greens, Hoppin' John -- a dish made with black-eyed peas -- is a tasty way to welcome the new year.

Folklore says eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day helps guarantee prosperity in the year to come. Sounds like a good plan, seeing as many of us need all the help we can get to weather the financial wreckage of 2008.

Hoppin' John, a traditional Southern hearty soup or stew made with black-eyed peas, is one of the popular dishes served on the first of the year. It's a mighty tasty dish with many versions, none of them particularly complicated or expensive to make at home (maybe that's where the prosperity part comes in).

Paired with collard greens and rice, which are the traditional accompaniments, the meal is a hearty, savory antidote to the sugar overload of the holiday season.

A quick scan of the Internet yields any number of Hoppin' John recipes. The simplest begin with a couple of cans of black-eyed peas mixed with a can of chili tomatoes (something like Rotelle, with diced tomatoes and hot chili peppers) and served with brown rice.

Our version of Hoppin' John is a bit more complicated, beginning with dried black-eyed peas, and flavorings that include bacon, onions, various vegetables from the fridge and a small ham hock. A pound of collard greens for $1.19 completed the meal and still kept us within our $7.70 budget.

For anyone who'd prefer to have someone else make their Hoppin' John, Liliana's Restaurant in Fitchburg will offer it as a special on New Year's Day.

It will be a hopped-up New Orleans version of the dish, chef/owner David Heide said, featuring andouille sausage and Cajun flavorings for a Louisiana twist on the traditional meal. Heide said a bowl with trimmings will cost $12; a cup costs $6. Liliana's will open on New Year's Day at 5 p.m.

New Year's Eve revelers, take note: Hoppin' John is considered especially auspicious if it's the first food consumed in the new year. For you, late afternoon might be an ideal time for that first bite of nourishment in 2009.

HOPPIN' JOHN

16 ounces dried black-eyed peas

2 slices of bacon, diced

1 medium-sized onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Smoked ham hock or shank

1 cup mix of diced vegetables (celery, green peppers, carrots)

Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Sort and rinse dried peas, place in a large pot, cover generously with cold water and soak overnight. Rinse peas again. Place ham hock at the bottom of your soup kettle. Add peas, and water or broth (chicken or vegetable) to generously cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, saut diced bacon. Add onion and garlic, and cook until fragrant and transparent. Add vegetables and cook over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes.

Skim any froth from the peas and stir sauteed vegetables into peas. Simmer soup until peas are tender, and ham is falling off the bone. Remove ham bone from the pot and return meat to the pot. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne or chili powder.

Serve with white or brown rice and chopped, steamed collard greens.

LILIANA'S RESTAURANT

Address: 2951 Triverton Pike, Fitchburg

Phone: 442-4444

Web site: lilianasrestaurant.com

Susan Troller — 12/31/2008 11:44 am

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