This tradition started about 10 years ago. Our friend Beth told us that eating black-eyed peas on January 1 will bring you good luck in the new year. So now this is a new years day must. We invite friends over to watch football and eat good food. It is a great way to kick off the new year! This years menu:
Hoppin John Black-eyed Peas
Smoked ribs
Rice flour coffee cake
Roasted shrimp
Cheese and meat tray
Recipes:
Hoppin’ John
Ingredients:
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
2 small smoked ham hocks or ham shank
2 medium onions, divided
3 large cloves garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 cup basmati rice
1 can (10 to 14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with chile peppers, juices reserved
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, combine the black-eyed peas, ham shank or ham hocks, and 6 cups water. Cut 1 of the onions in half and add it to the pot along with the garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the ham shank or hocks, cut off the meat; dice and set aside. Drain the peas and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaf, onion pieces, and garlic.
Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is almost tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Mince the remaining onion then add to the rice along with the peas, tomatoes, and their juices, red and green bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, Creole seasoning, thyme, cumin, and salt. Cook until the rice is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the reserved diced ham. Serve with hot sauce.
Smoked Ribs:
Ingredients:
3 slabs baby back ribs
Rib rub
Apple juice
BBQ sauce
Directions:
Rub ribs with rub, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Prepare grill – get temperature to 225 degrees. When grill is ready, place ribs directly on the grates. Grill for 4-5 hours, until ribs are tender. Baste the ribs with the apple juice every hour. During the final 30 minutes, baste the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Rice Flour Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/4 C. Rice Flour
1/3 C Sugar
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C Oil
Topping:
2Tbs Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 8×8 baking pan with non-stick spray.
Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and mix until smooth.
Pour into prepared pan. Mix topping ingredents together. Sprinkle on top of batter.
Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes until toothpick inserted at center comes out clean.