Hoppin' John for New Year's Day

"Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year. Rice for riches and peas for peace."
Southern saying on eating a dish of Hoppin' John on New Year's Day.
 
We have had Hoppin' John  every New Year's Day since we moved to Missouri in 1978.  We have prospered in Missouri and have no regrets.  Some say I'm just full of beans.  Well, it takes a special kind of bean, I say!

"History of Hoppin John: Hoppin' John is found in most states of the South, but it is mainly associated with the Carolinas. Gullah or Low Country cuisine reflects the cooking of the Carolinas, especially the Sea islands (a cluster of islands stretching along the coats of south Carolina and northern Georgia). Black-eyed peas, also called cow peas, are thought to have been introduced to America by African slaves who worked the rice plantations. Hoppin' John is a rich bean dish made of black-eyed peas simmered with spicy sausages, ham hocks, or fat pork, and rice.

There are many variations to traditional Hoppin' John. Some cook the black-eyed peas and rice in one pot, while others insist on simmering them separately. Some also like to add the collard greens in the pot. The favorite way to eat a Hoppin’ John meal is with collard greens and corn bread. Each item on the plate has symbolic meaning for the New Year. Black-eyed Peas represent “coins,” collard greens represent money or “green backs”, corn bread represents “gold,” and if tomatoes are added to Hoppin’ John it symbolizes "health".

It was the custom for children to gather in the dining room as the dish was brought forth and hop around the table before sitting down to eat.

A man named John came "a-hoppin" when his wife took the dish from the stove.

An obscure South Carolina custom was inviting a guest to eat by saying, "Hop in, John"

The dish goes back at least as far as 1841, when, according to tradition, it was hawked in the streets of Charleston, South Carolina by a crippled black man who was know as Hoppin' John.

Southern Superstitions about Hoppin' John:

This African-American dish is traditionally a high point of New Year's Day, when a shiny dime is often buried among the black-eyed peas before serving.

Whoever gets the coin in his or her portion is assured good luck throughout the year. For maximum good luck in the new year, the first thing that should be eaten on New year's Day is Hoppin' John. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, many southern families toast each other with Champagne and a bowl of Hoppin' John. If it is served with collard greens you might, or might not, get rich during the coming year.

If you eat leftover Hoppin' John the day after New Year's Day, then the name changes to Skippin' Jenny since one is demonstrating their determination of frugality. Eating a bowl of Skippin' Jenny is believed to even better your chances for a prosperous New Year!" 

Source: Beyond Black-Eyed Pease: New Year's good-luck foods, by Mick Bann, Dec. 26,2008, Austin Chonicle.

"There is also another tradition in some parts of the South that you should count the number of peas in your serving to predict the amount of luck or wealth you will have for the coming year. If you leave three (3) peas on your plate when you are finished eating, then you New Year ahead will be filled with luck, good fortune, and romance."
Source: Wikipedia - Hoppin' John.


For 2016, I believe I have made the best dish so far and want to share my recipe:

Beti's Hoppin' John

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas

2 cups cooked rice

2 cups broth, approximately

1 red onion, chopped

1 pound bacon, cut into small pieces

1 pound sausage

hot sauce and red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Cook the bacon pieces until crisp, remove from pan onto paper towels to drain fat.  Leave most fat in pan.

2.  Cook sausage in the bacon fat until brown, then add chopped onion.  Cover and cook on low without stirring for 10 minutes.  

3.  Completely drain away all fat.  Keep sausage and onion in pan.

4.  Add rice and black-eyed peas; thoroughly mix.

5.  Add broth to desired consistency.  Season with hot sauce and red pepper flakes.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

6.  Stir in bacon pieces just before serving.

Traditionally served with cornbread and cooked greens.  The type of ingredients and sides may vary.  Here are what I have found to be the best:

Black-eyed peas from cans, drained and rinsed.

Wild, black rice and Spanish rice; half and half mix.

Broth is from a smoked turkey we cooked at Christmas.

Bacon is low-sodium.

Sausage is Jimmy Dean's Natural.

Sides are whatever I have leftover and bread is whatever is on hand or I will make some fresh cornbread.  That is part of the frugality.  This dish is good using any version of the main ingredients of rice, black-eyed peas, and pork which most southerners always have on hand. How you put it together makes it your own.  Just like your prosperity...it is what you make it.

Enjoy and have a prosperous New Year!