Many of you know the Southern tradition of eating black eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day. This meal is meant to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. The peas symbolize change (the kind that jingles) and the greens represent folding money. In the past, I've always eaten the black-eyed peas in the form of hoppin' John, which never really satisfies. Maybe I'm not making it right--maybe it needs some good ol' fashioned pork fat to be truly delicious. Maybe black eyed peas are boring. This year, I almost ditched them all together because let's be honest--we're all more interested in folding money than in coins! Mom stumbled upon an intriguing recipe in a book I gave her for Christmas, The Indian Slow Cooker by Anupy Singla. I forgot to buy cilantro (oops) and didn't have time to make it in the slow cooker (oops oops), so I made a number of adjustments, which I will describe below. Turns out (duh) Indian spicing makes even the most boring of foods DELICIOUS! Look, Mom: no fat!
The collards recipe is also worth sharing, though it's not ground-breaking. M said it tasted like it contained ham, which is kinda what I was going for.
Indian Black-Eyed Peas
Reanimate a whole bag (1lb) of black eyed peas. Place in a large pot.
Process 1 large can crushed tomatoes, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 hot pepper (like jalapeno), and 1T ginger (~2") in a food processor. Add to the peas.
Stir in 1T cumin, 1T coriander, 1t turmeric, 1t salt, and a little water (maybe 1 cup).
Simmer for 30-60 minutes (however long your rice takes to cook), stirring occasionally.
Serve over rice.
Slow Cooked Collards
Place 1T EVOO in a slow cooker. Turn it on to high.
Add 1 onion, chopt and 2 cloves garlic, chopt. Cover and allow to cook while you prepare the collards.
Wash, stem, and cut ~1lb collards (or, just pick over those big ol' bags of cut greens they sell at Walmart). Add to the slow cooker.
Add 1c veggie stock, 1t liquid smoke, salt and black pepper to taste.
Turn the cooker down to low and cook for 6h, stirring maybe 3 times total (don't open the lid too many times, as you loose heat each time you do.)
Happy New Year!
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2 comments:
That sure brings back memories. My mother didn't make the greens but we always had the black eyed peas ever New Years. It wasn't a favorite of mine so I didn't continue the tradition. I kind of wished I had though. It's a little late but maybe I'll try your recipe.
Give it a shot & tell us how it goes!
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