Happy New Year to All (with some musings on Hoppin' John)

I know; you’re probably tired of New Year’s by now. It was a good day to take it easy, maybe cook something simple, nutritious, and delicious… like Hoppin’ John. According to tradition, Hoppin’ John has the added benefit of forecasting prosperity in the coming year.

What is Hoppin’ John? Like most dishes it has many variations, but the basic ingredients are black-eyed peas and rice, usually cooked with some kind of smoked pork: ham hocks, bacon, or bits of ham. What’s wonderful about black-eyed peas and rice is that, together, they make up a complete protein. You get a flavorful, nutritious, dish for a song.

Possibly that’s the beginning of your new year’s prosperity; if you make Hoppin’ John on a regular basis, you may not become rich, but it’s a start on savings.

On New Year’s Day, black eyed peas, which symbolize coins, are often accompanied by greens – collards, mustard greens, kale, chard – which not only symbolize folding money, but balance the meal’s taste and add nutritious value. (Personally, I can’t resist adding cornbread – actually, it’s hard to resist adding cornbread to almost any meal!)

A food native to Africa, black-eyed peas (also known as cowpeas, or field peas) traveled via the slave ships, and spread wherever the slave trade touched. For more than 300 years this legume has been a source of sustenance in Brazil, the Caribbean, and much of the United Sates. We think of black-eyed peas as a bean, but the taste and texture is somewhere between a pea and a bean.

There are almost as many Hoppin’ John recipes as there are cooks. You can make it like a pilaf, a salad, with Andouille sausage, Creole style, or just plain peas and rice with pork. My son recalls that, as a child, he used put up with the taste of the black-eyed peas to get to the ham. Here’s an intriguing recipe for a soup using black-eyed peas. I got it from a friend who thinks she got it from someone in her book club or knitting club. (Further research shows that it’s Mollie Katzen’s recipe from Vegetable Heaven.)

Black-Eyed Pea and Squash Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms

Serves 6 to 8:

1 Cup dried black-eyed peas, soaked

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Cups minced onion

2 Tablespoons dry mustard

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger 

1 pound fresh mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

10 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1/4 Cup dry sherry or vermouth

1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 5 Cups)

 4 Cups water

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Minced parsley for garnish

Place the soaked peas in a saucepan and cover with water by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil, turn the heat way down, and simmer, partially covered, until tender – about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, mustard, half the garlic, half the ginger, and half the salt. Sauté over MEDIUM HEAT for about 5 minutes. Stir in all mushrooms and sauté for a few more minutes, then add the sherry or vermouth. Cover and cook over MEDIUM heat for about 10 minutes.

Add the water and half the squash. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add cinnamon, lemon juice, vinegar, along with the peas, and the remaining garlic, ginger, squash, and salt. Cover and cook over LOW until the most recently added squash is just tender. Season liberally with black pepper and serve hot.