I grew up in the eastern part of the state, and a large part of my childhood revolved around my grandparents’ farm in Craven county. The farm had been in my grandfather’s family since one of the King Georges had given his ancestors the land grant, and while it had been growing tobacco, cotton, and soy for as long as anyone could remember, Papa always tended a smaller kitchen garden close to the house to provide my grandmother with fresh vegetables to cook for the family.

BlackEyedPeasI would guess that my family is no different from many families, especially Southern families, in that our family traditions revolved around the kitchen. At no time of year was this more true than the holiday season. Starting with Thanksgiving, my grandmother would cook almost constantly until New Year’s Day, when she would finish off her month-long smorgasbord with the traditional Southern meal of black-eyed peas (representing pennies), collard greens (dollars), and cornbread (gold bars). I remember quite clearly sitting in my grandmother’s kitchen, my family all encouraging me to eat more, “so you’ll get rich this year!” However, all I would ever consent to eating was a bowl of black eyed peas and my weight in cornbread – despite the fact that the years never brought me anything even resembling gold bars – because I disliked collards!  It wasn’t until years later, when I experimented with cooking collards myself, that I learned that I actually enjoyed the bitterness of the greens.

These recipes are adapted from the foods served in my grandmother’s kitchen years ago, which I’m fairly sure are similar to the meal being served in homes all over the South on New Year’s Day. The black-eyed peas are a long-cooking but low-maintenance recipe. My collards are somewhat less traditional; my grandmother would cook collards for hours with a ham hock and serve them with the pot liquor. I’m not one to knock tradition, but these collards have become a staple in my house because they make for an easy weekday vegetable side in addition to being appropriate for New Year’s Day. Steaming the collards before sauteeing them makes them more tender, but still leaves some bite to the greens when they are served, preferably with some red pepper flakes and a dash of apple cider vinegar. It should also be noted that the New Year’s Day meal isn’t complete without a warm batch of cornbread baked in a skillet. I’m not much of a baker, so I use Alton Brown’s creamed corn cornbread recipe, although I omit the sugar; I’ll play with collard recipes, but I’m not about to knock tradition and sweeten my cornbread!

That said, here’s wishing you a sweet and prosperous 2015!

Black-Eyed Peas

1 bag of dried black-eyed peas, soaked in water overnight

1 smoked ham hock

Salt and pepper

White onion (optional)

Scallions (optional)

  1. Drain and wash peas and place them into a large cast iron Dutch oven or stock pot with the ham hock. Cover with water, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer over medium low heat for 3-4 hours, or until the peas are tender. Keep an eye on the water level in the pot; the peas will soak up water as they cook. Replenish the water as needed.
  2. Remove the ham hock. Discard the skin and fat from the hock, and pull the meat off the bone in bite-sized pieces. Return the meat to the peas.
  3. Serve hot. Top with diced onions or scallions if desired.

 

Quick Collard Greens

1 large bunch collard greens

1 Tbsp bacon grease

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Apple cider vinegar (optional)

  1. Remove the tough stem from the collard greens and discard. Roughly chop the greens into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Using a steamer basket or rice steamer, steam the greens for about 5 minutes, or until the collards are bright green and just beginning to become tender.
  3. In a large skillet (I prefer cast iron), heat the bacon grease over medium high heat. Transfer the collards to the skillet, sauteeing them for about 15 minutes, or until wilted and tender.
  4. Salt and pepper to taste. For some heat, you can add red chili flakes, and we like to add a splash of apple cider vinegar to brighten the flavor.