Foodie Friday: Happy New Year!

I am making a traditional New Years dish, Hoppin' John. The custom of eating black-eyed peas  on the first day of the year stems from the belief that they will bring good luck to whoever eats them.  There are a lot of recipes for this but, I used as a base recipe Julee Rosso's recipe for Lucky Red Beans and Rice from Great Good Food.  She and co-author Shelia Lukins wrote the Silver Palate Cookbooks.  Rosso and Lukins always got the flavors right so I knew this recipe should start out with one of their recipes.  

*Note: I exchanged the red beans with black-eyed peas, which is the tradition, and I used   Jasmine rice (that is all the kids will eat) and I omitted the sun dried tomato.

Ingredients:
12 ounces of dried black-eyed peas
8 cups of chicken broth
1 ham hock (about 1 1/2 lb.)
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 TB finely minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/2 TSP dried thyme
1/4 TSP cayenne
1/2 TSP freshly ground pepper
1 1/3 cups rice


1. Rinse the peas and place them in a large soup pot with the chicken broth, ham hock, onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, cayenne, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the peas are tender.  
2. Add the rice and cook for 25 minutes more.  Ladel into bowls and serve immediately.
YIELDS: 12 servings

Have a very Happy and blessed New Year!  Please go to Designs by Gollum and see all the other Foodie Friday posts.