New Year's Black Eyed Peas

For years I have heard about how eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day was supposed to bring luck. Thinking back, however, I couldn't remember having ever tried black eyed peas. We usually go on a just-us getaway for our New Year's celebration, so I hadn't really thought about making them. Out of the blue about a month ago, I decided to buy a bag of dried black eyed peas, not really being sure when I would use them. Then, right before we left for our Christmas trip to Tucson, we learned that bone-in hams were on sale. We rushed out to pick one up to eat...whenever.

Fast forward from there to the day after Christmas, when we arrived home and prepared to face the coming blizzard - still certain we'd be leaving to catch a train on Thursday. Even when we saw this...

However, as Wednesday dawned and we hard the stories about how bad the roads in town still were - and since our street hadn't been plowed and would be an icy mess at the morning hour we would have to leave to catch our train - we made the difficult decision to cancel our reservations and stay home.

Once that decision was made, I knew I would be making ham on New Year's Eve and black eyed peas for New Year's Day. Thus began the recipe search.

A year ago, I would have called Dad to get his input. With that pang that comes from remembering I'll never get to call him with cooking questions again, I set about researching. I came up with a plan that was more than a little guided by the fact we had to cook with what we had. I had no desire to try to drive to the store just to pick up an ingredient or two. Plus having researched a little background into eating black eyed peas for good luck, I learned that one school of thought is that the luck came from eating what is considered a very modest/humble food to ring in the new year - to venture humbly into the future. So I scrounged through the cabinets and fridge, and this is what we ended up with...

Sue's Hoppin’ John (Black eyed peas)

1 (16-ounce) bag dried black-eyed peas

3 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon (I would have used about 6, but I ran out at 3)

1 meaty ham bone
1 onion, finely chopped and sauteed until golden
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
5 cloves of garlic, crushed & chopped (or ~3/4 tsp granulated garlic)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2-3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Water to cover ham bone and beans with a few inches extra over top of beans 

2 cups diced ham

Prepared rice

After sorting through black eyed peas to remove any bean bits or stones, rinse and prepare by using a quick soak - bring to a boil in pot of water with lid. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let set for an hour. Rinse then continue with instructions.

Place all ingredients except diced ham in a large crock pot set on high, making sure water covers beans by a couple of inches. Cover and cook approximately 5 hours. Remove ham bone and any bits that may have separated off. Taste a bit of the meat, and if it still has flavor, you can pull it off and add back to the pot. Stir in additional diced ham. Heat through.

Prepare rice according to package directions. 

Serve Hoppin' John in a bowl over rice. A side dish of corn bread completes the good-luck bringing :)

Things I would have added if I had them...

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained  (some of my garden tomatoes and green chiles)

Kale, rinsed and cut into thin strips - added for the last hour 

Oh, and the 3 teaspoons of red pepper flakes makes it pretty spicy. Feel free to reduce the amount for less kick.