Hoppin John

Hoppin John is a common dish to eat for New Year. It is the Southern United States version of Africa's rice and beans traditional dish. It consists of black-eyed peas (or field peas) and rice, plus chopped onion and sliced bacon, flavored with salt. One common in the southern part of USA is that each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to assure that the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance. Another tradition says that counting the number of peas in a serving predicts the amount of luck/wealth that the diner will have in the coming year. On the day after New Year's Day, leftover "Hoppin' John" is called "Skippin' Jenny" and further demonstrates one's frugality, bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year.

The Ingredients:

1 pound dried black-eyed peas, or cowpeas

6 to 8 ounces salt pork, diced

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound cooked ham, cubed

1 ham bone or large ham hock

black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

dash Tabasco sauce

How To
 
Pick over peas then rinse them. Cover the peas with cold water, then boil for around 1 minute then remove, and cover the pan. Let peas stand for 1 hour. When we're waiting, we sauté salt pork until golden brown, add onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is tender. Next, add the salt pork and onion mixture to the peas, along with the ham, ham bone or hock, and seasonings, then add enough water to cover. Bring them to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently until peas are tender but not mushed about 1 to 2 hours. Remove ham from bone, chop it , and return to peas. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Cook rice separately. Mound rice on a platter and surround them with peas.