First, I understand that black eye peas are the ones to use. They symbolize silver coins. But, in this forum, most of you seem to prefer other varieties. What do you do on New Year's? Stick with tradition or go for taste?

What is your method of preparation? Plain boiled? Hoppin' John? Texas Caviar?

What is good to have with them? Some greens I'm sure, to symbolize folding money. Mustard greens? Turnip greens? Collards? Cabbage? What else in addition to greens?

Is this a meal for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day? (Yes. I am that ignorant about it.)

What else should I know that I haven't asked about? As you can see, all the things which are obvious to you are not obvious to me.

Thanks for helping.

Jim

Now if you want to do it up in style, open up a can of tomatoes you put up back in the summer. A friend of mine refers to his as "summer in a jar".

And since you mention it, one of my favorite dishes is peas with a few green beans snapped up in the pan.

Fusion

Past few years I've combined 'em in a recipe I have for Black Eyed Peas and Chard. Will post it if anyone's interested.

And I do use Black-Eyed Peas, for tradition's sake.

BTW, Jim, in parts of the Carribean they call peas beans. So you're in good company.

Yes, black eyed peas are traditional, but it dosen't have to be black eyed peas! Purple hulled crowders (are cow peas or field peas as, are blackeyed peas) are just as good and are preferred by me! By all means, boiled, with fatback or bacon! Hopping John with either would do if you prefer.

Cornbread, without sugar, with a very crunchy bottom crust is a must.

Greens can be almost any cooked greens. I personally prefer a mixture of several different turnip greens, several different mustards (including rape) and kale. I suppose if you like it, you could add spinach, collards or cabbage, but as an Alabama raised kid, my family did not! I personally do not like spinach, collards or cabbage!

Good luck, yankee! Once you taste a good southern New Year's days meal, you will convert to southern!

Who else has some hints?

Jim

I expect everyone understands that there will be some friendly disagreement over what is "correct". Just in case you're inclined to worry about this, don't. We know that these things vary from family to family, if not from county to county. I'm interested in those differences.

Merry Christmas.

Jim

My mom always made black eyed peas on new years day.

And I don't reckon your Mom ever put suger in her cornbread.

Y'all know, not using sugar in cornbread is strange, when you consider that the south traditionally had only two food groups: sugar and cholesterol.

Nothing like a mess of turnip greens with those dumplings. Ummmmm, ummmmmm. Here's how:

Pot Likker Dumplings

Prepare a pot of turnip greens with ham hocks.

Mix 2 tbls. minced spring onions into 1 1/2 cups unsifted cornmeal. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir in enough boiling pot likker from the greens to make a dough.

When slightly cooled, mix in 1 egg thoroughly. Take this by spoonfuls and shape into small patties, about 1/2-inch thick. Lay them gently on top of the simmering greens. Cover and simmer 15 minutes until done.

This version comes from Joe Dabney's "Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine."

Besides needing some ingredients which are not in high demand here in Massachusetts, the two super markets in my daughter's town are terrible. But I persisted and got what I needed. Also came across a nice brisket and added that to the menu. Popular demand will make that part of the tradition.

The peas were store bought black eyes, which I understand are not preferred. But the pink eyed purple hulls I tried to grow last summer got decimated by critters. Oh, well. Wait 'til next year.

I managed to get two bunches of turnip greens and they were good, cooked up with some smoked pork neck bones for flavor. Neck bones went into the peas too. They worked well.

The corn bread was an unqualified success, despite being made from Quaker white corn meal, which is coarser than I would like. I follow a recipe from a book called Butter Beans to Blackberries by Ronni Lundy, a Kentucky gal. It's a recipe passed down in her family which calls for buttermilk, no sugar and no wheat flour. The batter is poured into a heavily greased, sizzling hot, iron skillet and baked. Because I was using a course corn meal, I included a very small amount of wheat flour to be sure it would hold together.

I tried for a long time to duplicate the brisket I once had at Tujague's Restaurant in New Orleans. I don't know how Tujague's does it but my success came when I just put the brisket in a crockpot with nothing else (OK, throw in some pepper corns and onion) and cooked it on low all day long.

It wasn't until yesterday that I remembered I didn't make the cole slaw. Dang! But nobody missed it and the meal was a success. I thought I heard some yummy sounds around the table.

As you might surmise, this wasn't my first foray into Southern cooking. I've been interested in it for a while. Not a little of that interest was provoked as I lurked on a GW thread where Southerners were extolling the virtues of various peas and beans. So why did I start the present thread? Because I'm still learning. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge. It's the sort of person-to-person stuff you can't find in books (although Ronny Lundy and others are making a good stab at it). I truly appreciate your help.

Jim

Things will get better. They always do, sooner or later.

That's right! And we aren't bashful about saying so.

I'm a Yankee who loves grits, with butter to bring out the corn flavor. Hash browns are also a big favorite of mine.

Forget the cream of wheat. Never could stand the stuff.

Jim

Jim

(It's amazing the things you can learn here.) :-)

I watched a cooking show Down Home with the Neely's and they were cooking a big pot of collards and she put a whole bunch of sugar in the pot...never heard of that one either...

I eat peas anything...I cooked some yesterday to have them ready...they are from my garden and the last of them to boot so I just dried them on the vine...they were sitting there staring at me so I decided to cook them for N Years.
Lots of people in the south serve food after midnight on NY's eve when they party and they serve the peas and greens then but most people gotta have them on NY's day...