I'm fixin' to boil up some peas with some onion and a couple chunks of Virginia ham. We'll be havin' this with cornbread (no sugar in the recipe: its bread, not cake), some green onions and pepper sauce. Great gray pot likker. Can't wait.
thanks ida, you always have good food posts i've been laid up with a bad cold/flu for a couple of days, watching football and looking at the interwebs your post inspired me to get off my *** and go get some blackeyed peas cooking now with bacon, ham, onion, and garlic in water and chicken broth hope yours turn out great. happy new years
Just finished my first helping and they are delicious. This was my first try at making them from scratch. I used a piece of salt pork and a large ham hock, a large onion, four minced garlic cloves, and two bay leaves. Covered it all with chicken broth and simmered it slowly in the dutch oven for nearly three hours. My cornbread included a diced jalapeno and a cup of grated white cheddar. Sauerkraut and pork cannot compare. Happy New Year y'all!
I bought some of the peas that were in a bag in the produce section, pre rinsed. I threw a bit of oil in my big Le Creuset. Then threw in some bacon, onion, celery, jalapeno, and minced garlic. Then added peas, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and parsley. Poured water to an inch over top of peas. Boiled, then simmered for 2 hours, and they are still on low heat in the kitchen. Had a small bowl with a side of broccoli cornbread my wife made. They were of course much better than the frozen and canned I had in the past.
Mine are resting quietly in my tummy, at least for the time being. Had not occurred to me to put garlic in the peas, but I will next time.
I actually think I look forward more to New Year's Day meal than Thanksgiving or Christmas. Here's our annual New Year's meal: 1. Black-eyed pea Soup -- diced bacon, plenty of onion, a can or two of Rotel, celery, bell pepper, chicken broth and of course black eyed peas. Fry the bacon first, brown the onions then add all ingredients to the broth. Season with bay leaf, black pepper, white pepper, parsley, thyme. Simmer for about two hours (more the better). Top with diced bacon and green onions. 2. Macoroni and tomatoes -- Macoroni, sweet onions, can of Rotel, diced tomatoes, small can of tomato paste, garlic. Reserve a little bacon fat from bacon and brown onions. Once the onions clear, add Rotel, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and simmer. Cook macoroni in separate pot and when the sauce has simmer for an hour or so, add the cooked macoroni. 3. Fried okra. Just good old, cornmeal coated fried okra cooked up crisp. 4. A nice ham. 5. Jalapeno cornbread with corn added to batter. Damn I'm fat and happy right now...
had mine cooked with smoked sausage, jalapenos, and some onions. Then ate them with some amazing cornbread--jalapenos, onion, corn (actual kernels) and some cheddar cheese. It was delish.
Couldn't find a can at the "Garage Grocery" in the West Village. If I had, I would have had some. Maybe the Whole Foods in Union Square will have some. (If I knew NYC better, I would probably know where to get some.)
Made the actual Hoppin John recipe on the side of the pre rinsed fresh pack. basically just onions, s and p, garlic salt, celery salt, and chicken broth served over rice.... Think next year i will add some Japs and some bacon/sausage to the recipe... My Pork chops ended up outstanding......pan seared in some evoo and o's and then baked in the oven covered in kraut and chopped apples.... My tators ended up being to runny.....i forgot i added a little chicken stock to the pan before adding the milk....
I don't do a lot as far as adding stuff to my beans...just beans, water, ham bone (Virginia ham only) and salt/pepper to taste-thrown in a slow cooker for hours. Once they are done, I might add a little hot sauce but that's it. My parents brought over some black eyed peas, collards, cornbread, buttered turnips, and ham for our traditional New Year's supper. It was really good. I wish I could cook like my mom does...everything she touches in the kitchen is just golden when she is done with it.
new years day can not happen without black-eyed peas. i choose mine via black-eyed pea dip that comes from a texas cookbook bob eckhardt's wife put out long ago. except i add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. serve with fritos. its the biggest hit of the day. i too think i cook more on new years eve and day, than christmas or thanksgiving. mostly just appetizers. we had crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms, tamales, blackeyed pea dip, nachos (with homeade refried pintos and another batch with homeade refried black beans, and shredded chihuahua cheese), lamb chops, fresh green beans, fruit salad with ginger syrup, asian chicken salad, and fried oysters.
we made the South beach Diet hoppin john, pretty good, diced onion, celery, bell pepper (cain't go wrong with the trinity) all fried up in some olive oil and then throw in some canned black eyes and chopped up ham and some dashes of hot sauce and salt and pepper, damned tasty. Had regular blackeyes too.
Cooked mine up yesterday. (Better late than never.) Crisped up some bacon. Sweated half an onion, garlic, jalepenos and fennel (it was cheaper than the celery and more interesting flavor,) threw in a couple of cans of beans, a beer, a **** load of thyme that had been sitting around drying out since Thanksgiving, and some chopped kale (no collards left at the store). Served over rice. Delicious. Might cook up some more next week.