Hoppin’ New Year!

–”So what are you going to do today?”
–”Well, I already went to brunch, and am just leaving the gym…I need to go home and make my black-eyed peas.”
–”Oh, yes. I started soaking mine yesterday. Gonna get ready to cook ‘em up tonight.”
–”Yum!”
Reading that telephone exchange between Mama Smart and myself, you’d probably think, “Oh what a lovely family tradition they have that Sarah is continuing even as she has moved to the farawayland that is Texas. What a great way to maintain family ties.”

But no, Alex P. Keaton,* this black-eyed pea cookin’ has no family ties that I can think of.

*You look like a girl from Abercrombie & Fitch. RIP Rich Cronin. What would pop culture be like without LFO’s hit song about life in the 80s and early 90s masquerading as an ode to a clothing company whose catalog you had to be 18 years old to buy?^
^Yes, I realize most of you probably actually thought of Michael J. Fox, and NOT “Summer Girls” but whatever. I heart boy bands.

Never do I remember my mother cooking black eyed peas on New Years Day for us. Never have I cooked them for myself before. And yet, we have somehow decided to perform our duty as G.R.I.T.S. [Girls Raise In The South...or in my case GWTSWRITS*: Girl Who Thinks She Was Raised in the South] and carry on an age-old southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas for good luck on New Year’s Day.

*pronounced guh-wits-writs…rendering it a completely pointless acronymThe tradition of eating “Hoppin’ John” originated in the coastal South as a variation of traditional rice-and-beans dishes made in West Africa. “Hoppin’ John” consists of rice and black-eyed (or field) peas, and is supposed to give you good luck and prosperity in the new year. (The peas represent coins.) Some form of greens are usually served alongside, since they look like folded money. [Man alive, we can find symbolism in ANYTHING.]

So, as a GWTSWRITS, I naturally had to make some Hoppin’ John to ensure my prosperity in the new year. And, as I am ME, I naturally had to totally change the recipe.

I present to you….Hoppin’ Jane!Using the basic elements of “Hoppin’ John”–the black-eyed peas, the onion, the green pepper–I eliminated the rice altogether (because really, the day after New Year’s Eve the last thing I want to do is put another piece of grain-based carb in my mouth…perhaps I went a wee bit overboard on the chips and salsa?) and threw the greens right on in the pot. What has resulted is something I literally think might be one of the best (and easiest) things I have ever made.

To start, you’ll need to dice up half a large onion (about 1 cup) and about 1/4 of a large green bell pepper (approximately 1/2 cup I think)……and two cloves of garlic (mine were giant-sized…but I was OK with that.)Now, “Hoppin’ John” traditionally involves some form of pork, because apparently pigs represent progress? I’m still not sure about the how and why of that one, but I was willing to go with it. Usually the pork takes its form in a ham hock, which is also a traditional way of stewing greens [although Bertha uses smoked turkey wings]…but I decided to go with my favorite form of pork: BACON! [OK, fine, I think pork belly is really my favorite, but we're trying to be slightly healthy here in the new year...and besides, I already had some bacon in the freezer.]Dice up two (or maybe three….) slices of bacon, and leave behind any of the noticeable fat that falls off. [Don't be obsessive about it, as you want the flavor from it, but I mean, there's no reason to just throw random fat pieces in the pan if you don't need to.]
Get the bacon cookin’……and then throw in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic.As that starts to cook, collect your other ingredients, stopping to stir the pot every once in a while. You’ll need black-eyed peas of course…and I give you full permission to cheat and just pop open a can of ‘em if you didn’t have the foresight to soak dried ones while you were drinking champagne and toasting to 2011.Get 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (1 box or 2 cans) and a can of diced tomatoes (I like fire roasted)….
…and an entire bunch of turnip greens. [You could also use mustard or collard, but collards take longer to cook and are more bitter than turnip greens. If you are willing to wait a looooong time for the collards to break away from their bitterness then by all means, use 'em.]
Once you’ve got a nice crust of bacon-ness on the bottom of your pan……pour in the chicken broth, drained can of black-eyed peas (or about 2 1/2 cups of thawed frozen or fresh), and the whole can of diced tomatoes.Stir it up and make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan, getting up all that nice meaty, salty, bacon flavor.Then comes seasoning time. If you are going to play it safe, just grab a jar of seasoning salt and put 1 heaping teaspoon into the pot. Lawry’s is good for this, and for some reason seems like the “Southern” seasoning salt in my mind. [Despite the fact that it is made in New Jersey...go figure.]But if you are willing to be a bit more adventurous in the spicetastic world of flavorful fun, grab not only seasoning salt…but extra black and red (cayenne) pepper. If you are already a lucky duck (prior to eating your black-eyed peas) and have some Penzey’s Spices in your cabinet, you can use 1 teaspoon of their 4S special seasoning salt and 1 teaspoon of their Black & Red spice.
[Substitute 1 teaspoon seasoned salt and 1/2 teaspoon each black and red (cayenne) pepper if you don't have any Penzey's! Warning: this route WILL lead to spicy heaven...if you can't take the heat, don't use the cayenne.]

Crank up the heat to medium-high and wait for everything to boil…while that’s happening, chop up your turnip greens. [You can do this pretty coarsely, and I wouldn't worry too much about the stems (except for the superlarge ends) as they will cook down and I kind of like the extra crunch. You can use your discretion and taste preference for that though.]
Once the pot is boiling (or at least at a nice simmer), stir in the greens a little at a time.…allowing the first three or four handfuls to wilt and then adding more, until all are in the pot and cooking away!
Honestly, it’s ready to go as soon as the greens are tender, but if you let it cook for even just 20 more minutes, the whole flavor will develop insanely well.
It will be spicy and sort of sweet at the same time (not sure how or why), and there will be a subtle salty meatiness from the bacon that adds a nice depth to the broth.

Seriously. This is good. Luck or no luck.

Hoppin’ Jane

3 strips of bacon, diced and obviously large pieces of fat removed
1 cup diced sweet onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (as best you can)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1 15 oz. can black-eyed peas, drained (or 2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed)
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper + 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 large bunch turnip or mustard greens, coarsely chopped and overly large stems removed

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the pot; cook until softened, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour in broth, tomatoes, and black-eyed peas, being sure to scrape the bacon bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Stir in seasoned salt and peppers (if using).
5. Bring stew up to a boil.
6. Stir in greens a few handfuls at a time, allowing to wilt before adding more.
7. Allow stew to simmer for at least 20 minutes before serving.
8. Serve with cornbread or grits!

If this is how we’re starting 2011 in The Smart Kitchen, it looks like a delicious (and nutritious!) year to come…