Try this Hoppin’ John recipe for good fortune in the new year
Some foods are just plain lucky to eat on New Year’s Eve. What associates these dishes with good fortune, exactly? That’s tough to pinpoint, but much of the answer has to do with symbolism and superstition.
It also has to do with a human tradition of eating something special, like a birthday cake, to mark the passage of time. So what will people be biting into at the top of 2022 to set them up for success? We talked to food historians Megan Elias, food writer and director of the gastronomy program at Boston University, and Linda Pelaccio, who hosts culinary radio show “A Taste of the Past,” about some of the lucky foods you’ll find on global New Year’s menus.
Black-eyed peas are served with rice in the traditional Southern U.S. dish called Hoppin’ John for New Year’s Eve. Or, the peas can be part of a soup. In Italy, lentils mix with pork for a lucky dish.
Round foods resemble coins and money, says Pelaccio. Eat these symbolic foods, many believe, for a financially successful new year. On the contrary: Don’t eat the round foods and you could have a year of bad luck!
Hoppin’ John at its core involves rice and black-eyed peas, but you can supplement the flavor with aromatic vegetables and smoky pork. This is a wonderful side dish or great as a main course with some braised greens and cornbread.
Hoppin’ John
Serves: 4 to 6
Hands-on time: 45 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
8 cups chicken stock
1 ham hock
1 yellow onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, peeled and halved
1 rib celery, halved
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices smoky bacon, sliced ½ inch thick
2 cups Carolina Gold Rice
3 cups water
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
6 to 8 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
Rinse the black-eyed peas in water and remove any pebbles. Transfer to a large bowl and add water to cover by at least 2 inches. Let soak at room temperature overnight.
The next day, drain the peas.
In a large stock pot, combine the chicken stock, ham hock, onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the broth is fully flavored, about 1 hour. Add in the soaked and drained peas, return to a simmer, and cook on low heat until tender, about 1 hour. Turn off the heat and remove the ham hock, onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves. Pick the meat from the hock and add it back to the peas. Stir in the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat.
Wash the rice with cold water until the water runs clear.
Put rice in a large saucepan and cover with the water, the reserved bacon fat and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the water is absorbed, 10 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave pan covered to steam for another 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.
In a large bowl, gently mix the rice and peas with the parsley, half of the bacon and half of the scallions. The mixture should be moist but not runny. Scatter the remaining bacon and scallions on top and serve.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hoppin’ John recipe for good luck in the new year
