Black eyed peas with New Years dinner?

traditional food | Uncle George

[Uncle George]

A family tradition in millions of homes the humble black eyed peas are eaten as a symbol of a prosperious coming year. Not a lot of people like the taste of them but some inventive recipes make them delicious. My wife and I and family have had them every New Years for our 49 years of marriage so why tinker with success? What is your favorite recipe for the humble little black eye?

[Cultural Jihad]

Dutch-Mennonite recipe for "keelke"

[Fred Mertz]

I love black-eyed peas, but here in Pennsylvania Dutch country the New Year's dish is sauerkraut and pork.

That's my dish today too. It will be prepared by an 82 year-old German woman.

[Roger_W_Isom]

Another traditional New Year's day dinner is Hoppin' John made with Black Eyed Peas, Rice and Ham hocks... Sorry don't have a recipe... For our Dinner we usually have a Roast Turkey of say 12-16 pounds and mom cooks it till the meat is LITTerally falling off the bones... and REMEMBER FOLKS by a FRESK TURKEY!!! That is how you are guaranteed to have a JUICY and moist bird!!!!:-))))

[Uncle George]

Our dinner will be --Blackeyed peas, Collard greens and bacon, fried potatoes, fried chicken, buttermilk buscuits, cornbread and wild honey. Thank God, what a Country!!!!!

[dread78645]

This is the story I grew up with and I think there is some truth to it.

That's a good story but doesn't look right under the facts.

The siege of Vicksburg was in spring-summer '63.
Vicksburg would have been finished eating the winter harvest, and starting to consume the spring crop.
And the previous fall was unusually wet which should have reduced the bean crop.

As Sherman's campaign (Nov-Dec '84) went from Atlanta to Savannah, the land changes from fertile farm to flooded fields.
To ensure forage for the calvary & wagon teams, he ordered the confiscation of all horse & bovine feed (the low-country
staple of rice was considered to be unfit for the animals). All the rest was to be burned.

The orders also were to leave a winter larder to each individual farm to last till the spring planting. This order was not (faithfully) carried out.

Back on topic I'm having :

Shoulder ham w/ mustard & brown sugar glaze
Spinach w/ cream cheese
Blackeyes + rice + scallions (and a little hot sauce)
a couple or 4 Shiner Bocks'

Happy New year to you !!

[ru4liberty]

I need a good recipe for Texas caviar (a black-eyed pea salad). The Black-Eyed Pea restaurants used to serve a great one but discontinued it a while back.

Help!

[Snow Bunny]

Wow, you really know your stuff about this. hahaa

Hi there wonderful person !!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!

[BunnySlippers]

Oh come on now, tripe is great in pepper pot soup (a Phladelphia dish).

And tripe in Menudo out here in Los Angeles (with all the fixin's) ... chili, onion, cilantro, lemon slices, oregano. Yum!

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I get out to LA on occasion. You'll have to tell me where it is, so I can try this concoction on for size.

[BunnySlippers]

I nearly fainted the first time I walked in the grocery store and saw whole hog's heads, wrapped in heavy plastic wrap, staring up at me

They have whole hog's heads here in Los Angeles in the Latino markets ... WITH the eyes and ears intact. They even give them little labels with names ... "Carmen", Lupita", etcetera ... ;-)

[basil]

I've had BEP's every New Year's day of my life (as well as eating them periodically through the year.) I make the same New Year's meal that my great-grandmother passed down to my grandmother, then my mother, then me, and now, my children are making it:

Buy fresh BEP's when they are in season. If possible, buy them straight from the farmer, and shell them yourself. Blanch and freeze until New Year's.

Boil the peas, adding onion, fresh bacon, a dash of Tabasco, a bit of garlic, and some sweet basil. When the peas are just tender, they're ready. I mash a few in the pot to thicken the juices.

The menu is always the same--BEP's, fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, and fresh okra, sauted in butter, with fresh onion and fresh tomatoes. For a salad, I dice up (in small pieces), fresh tomato, green pepper and Vidalia onions,salt and pepper, and let sit in the refrigerator over night. Of course, I also make a big pone of cornbread.

Here's the best way to eat the peas: Split open a slice of the cornbread and butter both pieces. Spread a layer of real butter on it. Cover with the peas, and then the salad on top of that.

For dessert, pour some Steen's Cane Syrup in a saucer, and sop it up with all the cornbread that's left.

Now--is tha more than you needed to know? LOL!

[Howlin]

Do you ever add tomatoes to that?

[BunnySlippers]

I get out to LA on occasion. You'll have to tell me where it is, so I can try this concoction on for size.

Any and every Mexican restaurant and stand. Also, the Mexican catering trucks and little hand carts that people set up in parking lots and on the street. My first trip in the morning will be to East L.A. to Los Cinco Puntos (the 5 Points) to pick up several dozen tamales (green chili cheese are my favorite) ... just bring your own soup pot and tell 'em to fill-er-up. They ladle in the menudo. :-)

[dread78645]

Here is a recipe that does not work: refried black-eyed peas.

I have not tried re-fried blackeyes' but I'd suspect a bit of lard would help.

[Howlin]

That is how you are guaranteed to have a JUICY and moist bird!!!!:-))))

Ever had a turkey fried in a turkey cooker? The BEST!!!!!

[Beep]

I never measure on these things, but what I do is take frozen whole baby okra and frozen black-eyed peas (1/3 okra to 2/3 peas, although I like mine closer to half and half! *G*), boil the okra first with bacon strips, then add frozen peas and boil for suggested time, then simmer for as long as possible. Season to taste.

While that's cooking, boil a penny in hot water to sterilize it, then dump it in the peas & okra before serving. Whoever gets the penny will have extra luck in the coming year! (Unless they bite down on it by accident and crack a tooth!!)

Happy New Year!

[austinTparty]

Hoppin' John is ALWAYS, but ALWAYS on the table on New Year's Day. Fresh black-eyed peas, serrano pepper, smoked ham hocks, onions, celery, bell pepper (these last three being the Holy Trinity of the Cajun cuisine), bay leaf and/or thyme from the garden, all boiled up with a good dose of tabasco, salt and pepper and served over rice with LOTS of pot likker. Oh yummy yummy yummy! Corn pone should be served as well... and collard greens...

[austinTparty]

yummy ping