Recipe for a Prosperous New Year

According to my dear old Granny (don’t dare tell her I called her “old”) and the folks at Wikipedia, the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day is thought to bring prosperity through out the year. The traditional meal also features collard, turnip, or mustard greens, and ham. The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion.

This city girl with southern roots (Murfreesboro, North Carolina) has been eating black eyed peas on January 1 for as long as I can remember. So in honor of the new year, I am sharing my world famous (famous amongst people who love me) recipe for Southern Style Black Eye Peas with you, my ThisThatBeauty readers…and hope that my beloved recipe brings you a year filled with more prosperity than your heart can hold. And when your heart overflows from all the blessings bestowed upon you, share the rest with others!

Happy New Year and I LOVE YOU ALL !!!

Disclosure: I am not Julia Child (God rest her culinary soul). This is basically an eye ball recipe…feel free to adjust to suit your taste. There’s really no way to screw it up. Have fun!

Felicia’s City Girl Southern Roots Black Eyed Peas

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 1lb bag of black eyed peas…I prefer Goya

• 1 nice sized green pepper coarsley chopped (I sometimes throw in sweet red pepper too)

• 1 nice sized onion coarsely chopped

• Two tablespoons of olive oil (or any oil you choose. bacon fat is yummy) to saute peeper and onion

• Dried bay leaves (about a small fist full)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 nice size smoked turkey drumsticks

1. Soak your beans over night (at least 8 hours) in cold water. In the morn, discard bad (brown) beans. Rinse the beans until the water is clear.
2. Saute peppers and onions until caramelized. I like them to get a little dark.
3. In a seprate pot filled with water, start boiling your smoked turkey drumsticks until the meat is tender and begins to fall off bone.
4. When the meat is tender pick the bones and turkey leg skin out. You should only have meat and water left.
5. Add your beans to the meat and water stock that’s left in the pot. The water has lots of favor from the meat so do not discard…just add your beans to it.
6. Also add bay leaves and sauteed pepper/onion mix to the meat/bean/water stock pot.
7. Bring to a boil.
8. Once rapidly boiled, lower to a simmer and simmer until done…about 30-45 minutes.
9. Add salt and pepper to suit your palette.

TIP: The longer you soak your beans the less time they will take to boil. Soaking the beans is what makes them nice and tender.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Love,

Felicia