Bringing in the New Year Right
Hoppin’ John and collard greens are an old African American and Southern traditional food for New Year’s Day. They are seen as good luck, and eating them will bring prosperity in the New Year. Hoppin’ John is a savory stew of black eyed peas and rice seasoned traditionally with ham hocks, fatback pork, or more…

Hoppin’ John and collard greens are an old African American and Southern traditional food for New Year’s Day. They are seen as good luck, and eating them will bring prosperity in the New Year. Hoppin’ John is a savory stew of black eyed peas and rice seasoned traditionally with ham hocks, fatback pork, or more often in this more healthy age, smoked turkey wings. Collard greens, or collids in my neck of Brooklyn, are also seasoned with salted and smoked pork or turkey. There used to be lots of flatbed trucks that sat on major intersections in black neighborhoods, selling salt pork, collard greens, Southern cured hams, pecans and other Southern delicacies. The trucks came up from South Carolina, Georgia and other states brimming with goodies, which disappeared fast in communities with strong ties to the South. As the Times reports, there are less and less these days, as people’s food shopping habits change, the economy fizzles, and old ties dissolve. My Mom, who was from South Carolina, made the best greens, and peas and rice, as we called it growing up. I can make them, but they are not the same as hers. Hers were much better. These foods are filling and nutritious and cheap, a pot of each can last days. Prosperity can last all year and beyond. Get cooking, and Happy New Year.
Brooklyn’s Flavor Route to the South [NY Times]
Brooklyn Style Collard Greens [NY Times]
Brooklyn Style Hoppin’ John [NY Times]
Photo:eatcheapeatwelleatup.com
Really good vegetarian collard greens:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2006/10/04/sneaky-collards/
Had these New Years Eve (and New Years Day and the next day…there were lots)
what is pot liquor? that sounds good!
*rob*
And who gets to drink the pot liquor in your family MM?
Where we are in Eastern Bed Stuy, it’s a mix of Southern and Carribean. I’m eating cold leftover shrimp curry and rice and peas and cabbage from the Jamaican place down the street. Delicious!
That plate is missing cornbread! An injustice to collard greens.
Wow. When we first moved to Flatbush, over 20 years ago, once in a while a truck would park at the corner from Alabama, filled with watermelons from the South. The folks selling them were real country folks, gentle and somewhat intimidated by the crazy Brooklynites descending on the truck to cart off whole melons. It was redolent of another time…there are still tropical-stuff vendors who park on stretches of Brooklyn’s eastern frontier, but I sure wish we could get the ham and pecan guys to travel through time and pay a visit!
Are you from the south, stevie????
Quicker Hoppin’ John
From Cali Rich, Cook’s Country (America’s Test Kitchen)
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 (1- to 1½-pound) boneless ham (or ham steak), cut into ¾-inch-thick cubes
1 onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see notes)
2 (16-ounce) bags frozen black-eyed peas
2 bay leaves
1½ cups long-grain rice
3 scallions, sliced thin
Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot and brown ham, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate with bacon.
Add onion and celery to pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, peas, bay leaves and browned ham and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until beans are just tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer ham to cutting board and cut into ½-inch pieces.
Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl. Rinse under running water until water runs clear, about 1 minute. Drain rice well and stir into pot. Place square of aluminum foil directly on surface of simmering liquid. Simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring and repositioning foil twice during cooking. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. Stir in scallions, bacon and ham. Serve with hot sauce.
Serves 8.
America’s Test Kitchen notes: Hoppin’ John can take as long as 4 hours to make. We drastically reduce the cooking time by using boneless ham in place of a smoked ham hock and frozen peas instead of dried. … Browned and simmered boneless ham adds smoky depth and meatiness to our Hoppin’ John in a quarter of the time. … Frozen black-eyed peas can be used straight from the freezer and simmered to the perfect creamy consistency in less than 1 hour.
I get enough damn soul food and southern food in bed Stuy. bring on some good Mexican, Thai & Chinese!!!! 🙂