Traditional New Years Food

[pamsabear]

What is your family's traditional New Years food?

We always have black eyed peas cooked with a hamhock or left over ham. Sometimes I add onion and garlic. I put pepper vinegar and hot sauce on the table, so people can spice it up themselves.

With this I make corn bread in which I add a small can of creamed corn and about 3 tablespoons of sugar. We serve the peas over the corn bread in a bowl.

I can smell it cooking now.

Pam

[nhlivefreeordie]

As a family tradition growing up, we always had Ham or Turkey on New Years Day. Here in PA the tradition is Pork and Sauerkraut, I actually did attempt it a couple times, ( I like the taste of sauerkraut but it doesn't like me ) so I got her to relent and we have a Pork loin in the crockpot with a pint of home made whole cranberry sauce, and a can of pineapple chunks, it is delicious.
Since she will insist on pork for New Years, we may just have different variations, just no sauerkraut.

[AlchemyAcres]

Yep,
Pork and Sauerkraut around here!

Pork Roast, salt, pepper, sauerkraut, onion, sliced apple, some apple sauce and brown sugar all cooked up in a dutch oven!
It's very good!

According to tradition pork and sauerkraut will bring good luck to you and your family in the year ahead.

The saying goes....If you have pork on New Year's you live high on the hog, but if you have chicken you scratch all year. LOL

~Martin

[CastIronCook2]

For reasons of his own, the Hubbest always begins the new year with a jar of pickled herring. In fact, he'll be distressed if he forgets it. Go figure.

[oeb]

Mixed bag of traditions around here: We have both Blackeyed Peas from roots farther south and pork plus sauerkraut via the local branch of the clan. It all mixed up pretty good.

Otis

[NCLee]

Blackeyed peas cooked with a ham hock
Baked Ham
Rice
Turnip greens or collards (I'll decide when I hit the kitchen, in a few minutes.)

We frequently eat a vegetable dinner of blackeyed peas, rice, and turnip greens. The ham adds a little more pork for New Year's day.

Lee

[Deberosa]

The pork and saurkraut is in the crock pot now! PA transplant here and haven't missed a year yet!

[Prairie]

To me, new years day is just another day, so I have never had a special meal, but that pork and sauerkraut roast does sound interesting. I love sauerkraut, and it is supposed to fantastic for you.

[CapeCMom]

For New Years Eve I always make a bunch of hors devours. Made Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dressing, hot artichoke dip, shrimp cocktail etc. We always do a big family dinner for New Year's Day. I made a Roast with Mashed sweet potatoes and gravy, frenched green beans, apple sauce etc. Whatever I end up making, it is always a lot. My boys are omnivours!

[NotSoFast]

Hy dad was from Alabama and mom was from West By God Virginia and grew up on a farm. Our tradition, sorta, was Hoppin' John, black eyed peas and rice.

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.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HoppinJohn.htm

[NCLee]

First time I've heard that saying. Thanks for sharing it.

We always have greens to represent good luck with greenbacks. Decided yesterday to do mustard greens (canned - drained, sauteed with some ham hock and olive oil). Rest of the hock went into the blackeyes. Made rice in the new rice cooker. While it turned out OK, I've got to do some tweaking of those instructions. Ended up stuffing myself after putting some baked ham on the plate, too. LOL

Lee

[Prairie]

Hy dad was from Alabama and mom was from West By God Virginia and grew up on a farm. Our tradition, sorta, was Hoppin' John, black eyed peas and rice.



http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HoppinJohn.htm

That looks like a good recipe. I'm gonna have to try it. (Finally an ethnic American cuisine that doesn't include corn! (Winkin' at Grizzy))

[NCLee]

Prairie, I took a look at the recipe. The ingredients are almost identical to what I use when I make Hoppin Johns. However, I'm afraid the instructions are off. There's far too much cooking/soaking time, based on the dried blackeyed peas that are available around here.

Suspect the author for the article didn't make them him or herself. The instructions are about what it takes to cook pinto beans.

FWIW, here's what I do.

After picking through for stones, etc. rinse in cold water to remove any dust from the harvest. Put in a pot, cover with plently of water or broth. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Time will vary a bit due the the age of the peas. At about 35-40 minutes, I pull out a few to taste. Finish cooking based on how tender they are at that point.

I cook the rice separately, because timing can get fouled up due to the age of the peas and of the rice, too. If added too late, the peas will be mushy before the rice is done. Easier to control the consistency of each. Plus, the option of serving each separately and combining on the plate or mixing the two before serving.

Hope you will try them. They are a staple food during cold weather in this household.

Lee

[damselbdam]

Growing up, my west virginia hillbilly mother's tradition was ham and cabbage, potatoes and carrots with a twist. My mother washed coins well, and hid them in the dish. Somehow, over the tears it got changed to one foreign coin (that person would have travel in the new year) and plenty of American coins for everyone to get a piece of the luck. My Italian father liked to celebrate with a grand steak dinner at midnight and lots of grapes and dried fruits and nuts.

I continued my mother's family's tradition when I married and had children, but also incorporated my late husband's family's tradition of hoppin john, greens and cornbread.

So on Friday we had black eyed peas, rice, hog jowl for flavoring, ham and cabbage and corn bread and home made pepper vinegar. Mmmm good.

Happy New Year to us all.

Here in southern West Virginia, atop Flat Top Mountain, it is cold, but the sun is finally shining. Been windy, but Old Glory is not standing at full mast. We have several feet of snow on the gound and it is beautifully bright.

God bless.

Billie