Here are a couple of recipes for traditional New Year's Day menu items. Enjoy!
Black Eyed Peas
You Will Need:
1 – 1lb Bag Of Black Eyed Peas, Dry
3 – Pieces Of Thick Bacon
2 - Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 – Tablespoon Chopped Onion
1/2 – Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 – Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 - Teaspoon Black Pepper
Directions:
You can pick up a bag of dry blackeyed peas at your local grocery store. Start with a small bag of peas, about 1 pound. This should produce about 5-6 cups of cooked beans.
Sort through your peas removing any defective peas, dirt or debris that may be present. Place the peas in a colander and rinse several times.
After a good rinsing place peas in pot and cover with at least 3 inches of water. Place peas in your refrigerator and soak peas overnight.
After the peas have soaked overnight discard the water. Rinse peas one final time. Place peas into a large pot or dutch oven and cover with two inches of fresh water. Bring water to a boil then add other ingredients. Add lid to your pot and simmer 2 hours until peas are tender. Do not let water cook out. Add additional seasoning to taste if required.
Collard Greens
You Will Need:
- 2 -3 medium smoked ham hocks or 2 lbs smoked pork neck bones
- 5 lbs collard greens (If you can't get them fresh, frozen will do.) or 2 -3 bunches collard greens (If you can't get them fresh, frozen will do.)
- 2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
- Take 2 or 3 smoked ham hocks and put them in a large (6 quart) pot of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and let it boil for about 1 1/2 hours. Add more water as it boils down. The idea is to boil the ham hocks until they begin to fall apart. You want the ham hocks to be falling apart before you add the collard greens.
- Take the collard greens and separate the leaves (if fresh). Rinse each leaf individually under cold running water. After you rinse the collard greens thoroughly, stack several leaves on top of each other. Roll these leaves together. Then slice the leaves into thin strips using a cutting board and large knife. Rolling them together speeds up the process as you are slicking through several leaves at once.
- Add your collard greens to the pot. Since this is a lot of collards, you will need to add them until the pot is full. Then allow them to wilt as they cook - then add more.
- Add salt, cover and cook for thirty minutes on medium heat. Stir every few minutes to distribute the smoked meat taste evenly.
Wishing you all the best in 2011!
