New Year’s Recipes

  in Blog

What should we do to celebrate the New Year? Why, eat of course! Some foods traditionally served at this time are black-eyed peas, for good luck, and greens. Here are a few recipes that feature black-eyed peas and greens, and other festive recipes that just sound good for the end of one year and beginning of the new one.

New Year’s Day Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Serves 8

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large leek, white and light green parts, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon marjoram
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon savory
sea salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
2 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
¾ cup dried black-eyed peas
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
¾ cup Orecchiette pasta
Parmesan cheese

  1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add leek and carrot and sauté 5 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic and herbs and sauté 1 minute more. Stir in kale, and cook 7 minutes, or until leaves are wilted, tossing occasionally.
  2. Add diced tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and broth; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in pasta, and cook 10 – 12 minutes more  or until pasta is al dente and black-eyed peas are tender. Serve garnished with Parmesan.

Hoppin John Salad

From Bon Appetit

¼  cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4  cup olive oil
1/4  teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed
1 1/2 cups yam, peeled, cubed
12 oz andouille sausage, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen sliced okra, thawed, patted dry
1 small red onion, chopped

  1. Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper.
  2. Cook yam in boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain; cool. Place in large bowl. Add black-eyed peas, andouille, okra, and onion. Add enough dressing to coat and toss.

Crudités with Lemon-Pesto Goat Cheese Dip

From Bon Appétit 

Assorted vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli florets, carrot and celery sticks, bell pepper strips, radishes
10 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons jar pesto
 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

  1. Blend cheese, sour cream, 1/4 cup pesto, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl.
  2. Top dip with dollops of remaining 2 tablespoons pesto. Sprinkle dip with toasted pine nuts. Serve dip alongside platter of assorted vegetables.

Potato Skins with Smoked Salmon & Crème Fraîche

8 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
chopped fresh dill

  1. Heat oven to 400°F .
  2. Prick potatoes all over with a sharp knife. Place potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until the skins are crisp and a knife easily pierces them, about 50 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Set the oven to the broil setting.
  3. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4 inch intact. (Reserve the flesh for another use such as potato soup or potato gnocchi.) Brush both sides of the potatoes with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Place potato halves skin side up on a baking sheet and broil until skins start to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn potato halves over and broil until the top edges just start to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven.
  4. Divide the salmon evenly among the skins and top each with 1-2 teaspoons crème fraîche and sprinkle with the dill. Serve immediately.

Dirty-Rice Collard Green Bundles

Adapted from Epicurious

1 large bunch collard greens (about 18 leaves), stalks discarded
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 pound pork sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups tomato sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  1. Set a large pot of water to boil. Lay each collard leaf out on your work surface, and remove the tough large stem and center vein. Don’t cut the whole leaf in half; just cut the toughest part of the stem out in a V-shape.
  2. Slip the collard leaves in the boiling water and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain into a colander, and rinse with cold water.
  3. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the chicken broth, cayenne, cooked rice, and parsley, mixing thoroughly and letting the broth reduce until there is no moisture left in the pan. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Lay out each cooked collard leaf and put 1/4 cup of the dirty rice in the center. Fold both the sides into the center, and the top and bottom over the center. Roll up into a cylinder tightly and repeat with the remaining leaves.
  5. Pour a 1/2-inch layer of the sauce into a 13- by-9-inch casserole dish.
  6. Arrange the collard rolls, seam sides down, on top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed collards, and cover the pan with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, and serve.

Hoppin John with Greens

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 bunch collard greens or kale, washed, stems removed, chopped
4 slices bacon or “fakin” tempeh bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
1 15-oz can black eyed peas, rinsed, drained*
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Optional: hot sauce

  1. Whisk together vinegar, honey, and sea salt and set aside.
  2. Cook the collard greens in a pot of boiling salted water for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
  3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add bacon or ‘fakin bacon’, onion, and celery. Cook until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and chili powder and cook one minute more. Add collard greens, ¼ cup of reserved cooking water, and vinegar mixture. Cover, and cook about 10 minutes. Add rice and beans to pan, stir in remaining ¼ cup of cooking liquid, and cook 3 minutes until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and hot sauce if desired.
  4. *To cook dried black-eyed peas,  place 1 cup black-eyed peas in large saucepan with 3 cups of water. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer, until peas are soft when pierced with a fork, 30 – 45 minutes. Drain.

Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

From Self Magazine

2 1/2 cups walnut halves, chopped fine
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  1. Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 9 minutes. Let cool.
  3. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir in walnuts. Add egg whites and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium until batter is just moistened. (Do not overbeat batter or it will stiffen.) Drop batter by the teaspoonful onto baking sheets in evenly spaced mounds. Bake cookies until tops are lightly cracked and glossy, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce

4  ripe bartlett pears
2 or more cups apple juice or cider
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
2 star anise pods
pinch black peppercorns
fresh mint for garnish

Chocolate Sauce

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  1. Peel pears, leaving stems intact. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so pears stand up.
  2. In a large saucepan, combine cinnamon stick, star anise, peppercorns, and apple cider.
  3. Add pears. Bring to a simmer. Cook, turning pears occasionally, until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, but not falling apart, about 20 minutes, depending on ripeness. Remove pears from liquid using a slotted spoon and transfer to large bowl. Pour the apple juice over pears and refrigerate. (Pears can also be served warm.)
  4. For the chocolate sauce, combine ingredients in a small saucepan. Turn heat to low and melt chocolate, stirring, until smooth. Serve pears drizzled with chocolate sauce and garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.