Happy New Year, everyone! We are busy counting our many blessings and praying for a wonderful New Year! And, for YOUR blessed New Year, as well.
From our wonderful Savannah Style book of recipes, we have Dugger’s Hoppin’ John. As you may know, Hoppin’ John is a traditional New Year’s dish that originated in the southern United States. It is meant to invite good fortune into your life in the New Year. For those of you who find “hog jowl” a little out of your dietary “comfort zone,” you can instead use ham hocks or bacon or even a smoked turkey leg. Your dish will turn out wonderful! Of course, you will need cornbread and collards to accompany your dish of black-eyed peas. We just happen to have those for you below.
Emily Meggett has a black-eyed peas recipe for you in her book, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking. Many people are familiar with black-eyed peas, but not crowder peas. While crowder peas come from the same family as black-eyed peas, crowder peas are slightly bigger, and they don’t have that notorious black eye. Emily says, “We learned how to bring out the best of their flavor – the saltiness of pork mixes well with the starchiness of the peas – and thankfully, those techniques can be applied to whichever peas you have available. Because crowder peas are hard to find outside of the Lowcountry, you can use black-eyed peas or cowpeas for this recipe. Whichever you choose, make sure to wash your peas thoroughly to remove dirt and stones, and purchase the best ham hocks you can, as they give a salty and meaty flavor that you just can’t resist.”
For your cornbread, we have Amanda Henke’s Southern style cornbread to accompany your traditional New Year’s dinner. It’s so good, it will become your “go-to” cornbread recipe!
Century House Tavern in Woodstock, Georgia, is famous for their collard greens as produced by Daniel Porubiansky in large batches of 15 pounds at a time. We found this recipe in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. As Daniel calls out for “14 tablespoons unsalted butter,” I looked it up: 14 tablespoons equals 0.875 cup. I plan to use a “scant” cup of butter – just a little short of a cup – instead of measuring out 14 tablespoons. Or, if you have a child sitting there just waiting for a chore, you can put them to work measuring out the 14 tablespoons of butter!
Next, from FoodNetwork.com, we have a recipe, courtesy of Ree Drummond, for Crazy Brownies. They are rated 4.6 out of 5 stars. These are easy, and yield 18 brownies. A note from one of the bakers: “Delicious! Note to self… parchment your pan after you spray! I couldn’t get it out of the pan without making a mess!”
HOPPIN’ JOHN
Recipe from Savannah Style,
a Cookbook by
The Junior League of Savannah, Inc.
1-1/2 cups dried cow peas (or black- eyed peas), soaked overnight
1 cup celery, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3/4 pound hog jowl, chopped very fine
Rice
1) Combine all ingredients except rice in heavy pot and cook in plenty of water until peas are done, approximately 2 to 3 hours. 2) Fold in raw rice, the amount depending on amount of liquid in pot. Use 1 cup rice to 2 cups liquid. 3) Cook until rice is done.
EMILY MEGGETT’S
CROWDER PEAS,
BLACK-EYED PEAS, OR COWPEAS
Recipe from Gullah Geechee
Home Cooking by Emily Meggett
2 14-ounce smoked ham hocks sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 quart fresh or dried crowder peas, black-eyed peas, or cowpeas
1-1/2 tablespoons salt, plus more if needed
1-1/2 teaspoons pepper, plus more if needed
1) In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine 3 quarts water and ham hock chunks. Cook over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes. 2) While the ham hocks are cooking, wash the peas thoroughly, removing any dirt or stones. 3) About 30 minutes into cooking the ham hocks, add the peas to the pot, bring to a boil, and boil for about 5 minutes. 4) Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot. If using fresh peas cook for about 1-1/2 hours. If using dried peas, cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. 5) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Notes: The liquid in the finished pot of peas should be of a gravy consistency, not watery.
DANIEL PORUBIANSKY’S
COLLARD GREENS
CENTURY HOUSE TAVERN,
WOODSTOCK, GEORGIA
Authored by C. W. Cameron in the
Atlanta Journal Constitution
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound smoked bacon,
cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 pounds collard greens, stems
removed, washed, cut into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more if needed
2-1/4 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed
6 tablespoons maple syrup
6 shakes Tabasco
Salt
1) In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add bacon and onions and cook until onions are translucent. 2) Slowly add collards, stirring between each addition until collard greens soften and more can be added. When all collard greens are in the pot, add vinegar and cook until liquid reduces by half. 3) Add chicken stock and maple syrup and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. 4) Add Tabasco and lightly season with salt. 5) Simmer over medium heat 1 hour, continuing to stir occasionally. 6) Taste and add vinegar, maple syrup or salt as needed. If collards are not tender, continue cooking, adding water as needed. Once collards are tender, they can be served immediately, or refrigerated for up to 4 days. Makes 6 cups.
AMANDA HENKE’S
CORNBREAD, SOUTHERN STYLE
Recipe from Reader of
The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter or shortening… to be melted and poured into the batter
2 tablespoons butter for greasing the skillet (plus a tablespoon cooking oil to increase the butter’s smoke point)
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2) Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl: cornmeal, flour, salt, garlic, cayenne, and baking powder. Set aside. 3) Combine and mix buttermilk and milk with an egg. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Immediately pour this wet mixture into the dry cornmeal and flour mixture. Stir until well combined. 4) Melt the 1/4 cup of shortening and add to the batter slowly, mixing together until just combined. 5) Heat the skillet in hot oven or on top of the stove for a few minutes until hot. Add two tablespoons shortening or butter making sure it covers the surface of the hot pan. 6) Pour the cornbread batter into the heated skillet. It will sizzle and make it a lovely crispy brown on the bottom and sides that smells so good. Carefully place the heavy skillet back into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until brown. Butter and serve immediately.
REE DRUMMOND’S
CRAZY BROWNIES
RECIPE COURTESY OF
FOODNETWORK.COM
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1 box chocolate cake mix (18 ounces)
1/3 cup evaporated milk
9 peanut butter cups
12 chocolate-covered caramels, such as Rolos
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup candy-coated chocolates, such as M&Ms
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, for sprinkling
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Put the dry cake mix in a large bowl and stir in the evaporated milk. (The mixture will still be dry.) Next, pour in the melted butter, stirring gently until the mix just comes together (don’t over-mix). 2) Divide the mixture in half and press half of it in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay the peanut butter cups over the top. Peel the caramels and place them in the spaces between. Sprinkle the nuts into the cracks, followed by the chocolate candies. Finally, sprinkle the salt all over. Put the other half of the batter on a cutting board and press it into a square a little smaller than the pan (it will be very sticky). Transfer it to the pan and lightly press it to cover all the ingredients.3) Bake until the batter is fully baked, 22 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then place the pan in the fridge, covered in foil, for a couple of hours. 4) Remove the brownies from the pan in one piece, then sprinkle on plenty of powdered sugar. With a sharp serrated knife, cut into small squares. 5) Gobble ‘em up!
