I helped my mom prepare the family dinner when I was 10 years old. I chopped the “trinity,” onions, green pepper and celery, and stirred the pot. Although garlic is not part of the “trinity,” we never cooked without it. My mom told me that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings us good luck in the new year. I have been cooking this meal ever since. I did not realize at the time that I was learning to cook.
Black-eye peas history
Black-eyed peas originated in Africa and came to North America via slave ships in the 1700s. Because of the trade routes, they are common in Europe and India. Although we call them peas, they are technically beans.
It is unclear when black-eyed peas became associated with good luck and prosperity. The New Year’s tradition of eating them on Jan. 1 began in the South, but due to migration, this tradition has spread throughout the United States. Black-eyed peas and rice are known as Hoppin’ John in some southern states.
There are two ways to cook black-eyed peas: Cook the peas and serve them over rice or cook the peas and rice together, known as Hoppin’ John. In New Orleans, we cooked black-eyed peas and rice. I never heard of Hoppin’ John until I left Louisiana.
Recipe
1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed, and picked over to remove soil or broken peas.
6 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable cooking oil
1 smoked ham hock
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
Green onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions
1. Add vegetable oil to a large pot. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery and saute for about 5 minutes; add garlic and cook for a minute.
2. Add water, peas, ham hock, salt, and pepper.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook for an hour and 15 minutes. Stir the pot frequently, and cook until peas are tender. The texture of the peas should be thick and “creamy” but not watery. Add more water if the mixture gets too thick.
4. Remove the bay leaf.
5. Remove the ham hock and cut meat from the bone if desired.
6. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
7. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with chopped green onions.
What to serve alongside
Increase your luck by serving black-eyed peas with collard greens, which represent money, and cornbread for gold. Ham hocks and pork sausages from pigs that root forward when searching for food, representing positive motion and progress, complete a traditional New Year’s dinner. Enjoy!
Other options
Substitute dried black-eyed peas with canned or frozen peas.
Soaking your peas overnight or a few hours will shorten the cooking time.
Use bacon, ham, sausage, smoked turkey drumsticks, wings, neckbones.
Substitute collards with cabbage or mustard greens.
Use chicken broth instead of water.
Happy New Year!