Every year there is a race for the Christmas ham bone. Every. Year. Well, this year I lost at GMA’s house, my uncle called dibs first. However, I won at The Grandparents’ house. Woohoo!! The reason there is this mad dash for bone is because that bone and its delicious tidbits are New Year’s Day gold.
Every year we have black eyed peas, cooked with the Christmas ham bone. It is supposed to represent prosperity and good luck in the new year. It is accompanied by cornbread (representative of gold), cabbage (representing money) and then Grandma makes banana pudding because, well, we love it. Who am I to knock tradition? 😉 Bring on the black-eyed peas and banana pudding!!
For those of us in the south, the eternal debate goes on about black-eyed peas versus purple hull peas. I’m not sure the difference, but I thought I needed to know before I did this post, so I called an expert, my grandma. Her explanation was simple. “Black eyed peas are for New Years Day, purple hull peas are for all the rest of the time. They taste better.” Oh. Okay then. Expert opinion given.
Now, in saying all of that, black-eyed peas absorb the flavors of whatever they’re cooked with, so be careful what you throw in the pot. Too much salt? Cut a potato in half and throw it in the pot, it’ll absorb the salt. Too much onion? Throw in some baby carrots, the natural sugars will take out some of the onion flavor.
This is a very easy, low maintenance recipe that has been used in my family for decades. I’m pretty sure it’s my great grandma’s. When we were looking at it, for this post, Grandma couldn’t tell if it was her mother’s handwriting or her grandmother’s. No matter which, it is the recipe that we have been using in our family forever. Enjoy!
May this New Year bring you good luck, prosperity and health.
Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey
GOOD FOOD. GOOD FRIENDS. GOOD TIMES.
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Black Eyed Peas
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Ingredients
- 16 oz bag of dried black eyed peas
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 ham bone or ham hock with tidbits still on
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1 small purple onion, diced
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1 tablespoon oregano, chopped
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1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Soak peas overnight. Drain and rinse.
- Add cold water, chicken broth, hamhock or ham bone to Dutch oven or Crock Pot. Dice onion, mince garlic, chop oregano and stir in with the peas.
- Dutch Oven: Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer and cook 3 hours or until peas are soft and ham falls completely off the bone.
- Crock Pot: Cover. Turn on to high for 2 hours, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 6 hours.
- Serve hot.
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