Black-eyed peas, rice, salsa and a zesty lemon creme. As I worked to finish off my collection of New Year’s supper recipes, I realized this would also make a great Super Bowl party one-bowl dish. Call it comfort food to bring luck for your favorite team. Southern tradition calls for eating a Hoppin’ John to bring you good luck for the year to come. I say, anytime of the year will not hurt!
Whenever you choose to eat it, this is a heart-healthy and affordable meal. My preparation does not call for ham, though you can surely add it. Many recipes call for you to cook the rice in with the black-eyed peas. I do this separate in a rice cooker – I believe the rice holds better this way. The salsa and creme for topping will pull together the whole dish.
Black-eyed Peas
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas – soaked overnight
3-4 ribs of celery – small dice
1 sm/med onion – small dice
1 T minced fresh garlic
1 T each oil and butter for saute
3 c. each of beef and vegetable stock
3 T tomato paste
A few dashes each of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt, white and cayenne pepper, to taste.
Place the peas in a large pot and cover with two inches of water. Allow to soak overnight. Drain and pick through, checking for any foreign material. Yes, these are field peas, but you don’t want to serve any other gifts from the field besides the peas.
Heat oil and butter in a stock pot on med-high heat and saute the garlic, onion and celery to sweat. Pour in the stock and add the tomato paste and other seasonings. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 35-40 minutes and check peas for tenderness. Adjust seasoning as needed.
While the peas are cooking, make your rice and toppings. For the rice, I used a Tilda basmati and wild rice blend that was excellent. I prepared the rice in a rice cooker.
Tomato-Jalapeno Salsa
1 c. chopped fresh tomato
4 scallions – sliced
1 jalapeno, small dice
1 T chopped Italian parsley
2 T champagne or cider vinegar – more to taste
a pinch of kosher salt and white pepper
For my batch of salsa, I used an orange-muscat champagne vinegar I had from Trader Joe’s. You can easily use an apple cider vinegar. To prepare the salsa, simply combine all of the ingredients.
Herb Lemon Creme
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1 t. lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T chopped Italian parsley and a pinch of chopped thyme and basil
a pinch of kosher salt
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
And, here it is….a final farewell to the New Year’s Supper of 2009. A final look at the plate with the Hoppin’ John, rice, Daube and greens with all the trimmings. For those of you who have followed along all of the stages of this recipe collection for the last few weeks, starting with the Daube, you know why I will probably make a dinner reservation next year!
