New Year's Day Collards and Black Eye Peas
Alice believes that this dish is a must every New Year’s day because according to legend, it brings financial luck. The collards represent folding money and the peas represent coins. Well…………..lo and behold, she won $50 on a lottery ticket!
I love greens of all kinds. Earlier this winter, I purchased beets to make Ukrainian Borscht and the leaves were in perfect condition. I rarely eat the beet greens because most of the time they are pretty ragged and wilted by the time the beets make it to the grocery shelf. We grow Swiss Chard which grows so fast that one clump in a pot grown outdoors will provide us with greens all summer. So, the following recipe can be used with any kind of greens but, depending on the texture and age of the greens, cooking time can vary a lot. Fresh tender chard will cook up tender in 10-15 minutes while mature collards take a good half hour or more. Most of the year, we omit the black eye peas but on New Year’s day, it represents a special treat and brings luck. Here is my recipe.
Collards and Black Eye Peas
INGREDIENTS
one bunch collard greens with stems removed and cut into large pieces Tennessee bacon with the rind (pig skin) removed and cut into small dice (you can use pancetta or guanciale but we find the Tennessee bacon much less salty and just as flavorful) one small onion red or white chopped (about a half to three quarters of a cup) one large garlic clove minced a nice pinch of dried red hot pepper flakes one 15 oz. can of Black Eye Peas butter
PROCESS
Fry the bacon until lightly browned. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and pepper flakes until the garlic is just barely starting to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the collard greens to the pan drippings. Drain the black eye peas into the greens but do not put in the peas yet. Add a nice chunk of butter. Cover the pan and cook very slowly for about a half hour. If it starts to dry out or stick, add a bit of water if needed.
When the greens are tender, add the beans. Stir in and allow to heat through. Add back the bacon mixture and heat through.
Serve with saltine crackers and a hearty IPA or a Bloody Mary. Alice prefers the Bloody Mary but today I really enjoyed an Arbor Brewing Buzz Saw IPA with it’s slightly cloudy pale gold color tangy hoppy citrus-like texture and rich malty finish. By the way, Arbor Brewing also makes a very European style Euchre Pils while not exactly a clone of Pilsner Urquell, it is, nonetheless, a deliciously refreshing and complex summer pils.
Enjoy in Good Health,
A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner
