Archive for January 1st, 2009

On the World Wide Twittersphere, Chris Brogan says what you need for the New Year is Three Goal Words, but here in Fort Worth, your first job on New Year’s Day is to get the Hopping John cookin’. Said variously to be for good luck in general or good luck with money, no Fort Worthian with a mind as superstitious as Elvis’ would let this tradition drop.  Doesn’t matter if you don’t like black eyed peas. The stakes are too high to mess around.

It is said you don’t actually have to make this entire dish; that for the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Years day to be operative (and for you to get the good money luck) even a spoonful of canned ones will do. However, telling people to go down to Albertson’s, get a can of black eyed peas and force a spoonful down is not really picturesque enough for a lifestyle blog. We are trying to have a Glamourous Life in the City on the Plains … so here’s the entire recipe. Ignore it at your peril.

Hoppin’ John

Take 1 1/2 cup black eyed peas (about half a pound) and rinse in a colander. Boil up some water and pour over the washed peas. Cover in a pot and let sit for one hour, then pour off that water. 

Now place soaked peas in a crock pot with 1 1/2 half cup uncooked long grain rice, 4 1/2 cups water, 1 teaspoon minced dry thyme, and a bay leaf. In a frying pan, cook 6 strips bacon, remove, then saute in the drippings 1/2 a yellow onion chopped up, 1/2 large red or green bell pepper, chopped and a chopped celery stalk (did you sense the pattern there?) Chop (uh-oh, she wrote it again) the bacon into bacon bits and put all the fried goods in the crock pot as well. Add some cayenne pepper, to taste, maybe 1/2 teaspoon. This is supposed to be a spicy dish. Turn on low and cook for about 3 hours.  Eat with crusty bread.

Now, if you don’t have good money luck in 2009, at least you won’t have to worry that it was because you neglected to eat your black eyed peas.

Posted with thanks to my friend Marji, who explained to me about the tradition.

Image credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital