Hopping Into the New Year

After being out late and spending the day dismantling Christmas and packing each ornament, piece of garland and several strings of lights away I certainly don’t feel like hopping, but Hoppin’ John is one of those dishes you simply must have for New Year’s Day.

Luckily I have a man in the house who doesn’t mind cooking while I do other things and this recipe for Hoppin’ John is one of the dishes he prepared for us tonight along with a grilled pork roast, Sautéed Collards and Buttermilk-Cornmeal Biscuits with Honey Butter (see this link for the biscuit recipe)

Hoppin’ John is actually a dish that can be traced back to West Africa where it is still eaten today.   It’s very simple why Southerners eat Hoppin’ John on New Year’s…..tradition holds it will increase our luck through the year.  The peas are symbolic to coins.   Collard greens, of course, are symbolic of actual dollars since they are the color of money, and cornbread represents wealth since it’s the color of gold.

 

By eating some form of peas or beans to celebrate the new year we  actually are taking part in a custom folks followed back in the Middle Ages since the French and Spanish both traditionally had beans or peas on their tables for New Year’s.

It looks like we will have some Hoppin’ John leftover to enjoy tomorrow.  Traditionally the left over Hoppin’ John takes on the name Skippin’ Jenny.    I’m taking a few Advil in hopes I will feel like skipping tomorrow!

Hoppin’ John

This dish is prepared in two stages…..

Stage One:

1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over

¾ pound Tasso ham, diced

1 onion, halved

3 cloves garlic

3 bay leaves

In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine ingredients with 6 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until peas are tender but not mushy, 2 to 2 ½ hours.

Drain the Black-eyed peas and ham, saving cooking liquid separately.  Remove and discard the onion pieces, garlic, and bay leaves.

This is how the Hoppin' John looked at the end of Stage One.

Stage Two:

½ pound bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

½ tsp. fresh Thyme

1 cup Cajun Grain rice (or good quality long grain rice)

6 green onions, sliced

½ bunch parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

All the chopped ingredients are ready to add to the kettle.

Wipe out the pot and return to stove over moderately high heat.  Add bacon and render until golden (8-10 minutes), then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeno.  Using a wooden spoon, stir occasionally, cooking until onions are translucent (8-12 minutes).   Add the thyme and 2 ½ cups water, and bring to a boil.   Lower the heat, stir in the rice, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 17-22 minutes

Stir in the green onions, parsley, black-eyed peas and ham, season with salt and pepper, and adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking liquid.   The Hoppin’ John should be lushly moist but not soupy.

Serves:  6

Buttermilk-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits with Honey Butter

I may have to hide this entry in my food diary from my trainer, but it will be worth it.   These biscuits are so good they will make you slap your mama.....I paired them with some Minestrone Soup for dinner.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt 

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces plus 1/4 cup (1/2 stick), room temperature

1 cup buttermillk

5 Tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With a pastry cutter or your fingers cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-size pieces remaining.

In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk and 3 Tablespoons honey.  Add to flour mixture and stir with a fork until dough just comes together.  Dough will be slightly sticky.   Do not over mix.

With two large spoons drop 10 mounds of dough 2 inches apart, on two parchment-lined banking sheets.   Bake until biscuits are golden, 15-20 minutes rotating sheets halfway through.   Transfer biscuits on parchment to wire racks and let cool.  

Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup butter and 2 Tablespoons honey until combined.   Serve honey butter with biscuits.

---per biscuit (without honey butter) 216 calories

Buttery Mini Muffins

What could be better than three ingredients?  

1 cup self-rising flour
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a small bowl combine flour, butter and sour cream. 

Coat 12 cup muffin pan with baking spray.

Fill each cup with a spoonful of batter.

Bake at 350 degrees 25 minutes or till golden.

Add a dollop of fruity preserves.....yum!

Sour Cream Sauce

I wanted some fresh berries for desert the other night and found this little sauce in Southern Living….it was perfect.   Easy to make and easy to store.

I spooned the sauce over a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries…and made it even more special by serving it all in martini glasses.   Delish!!!!

Beat 1/3 cup butter, softened, and 1 cup powdered sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add ½ cup sour cream, ½ teaspoon lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla, beating until creamy.  Cover and chill until ready to serve (up to 8 hours).   Makes about 1 ¼ cups.

Restaurant Review: College Park's Brake Pad

After you spend some time in the sweltering heat walking through the elementary school you attended forty years ago (I’m ignoring that number and so should you),  and driving around a bit to see where you lived and played for your entire childhood you build up a powerful thirst and hunger.

Rather than returning to home base, the Mister and I remained in our hometown area and decided to eat in College Park….right down from the church where we were married and adjacent…..within hollering distance….. to the high school I graduated from.   In fact, I could see the Ivy covered main gate for the school from the parking lot.

Home…..

We stopped in at Brake Pad Restaurant and Bar…..a spot more familiar to us as the service station at the corner of Rugby Avenue and Main Street in downtown College Park.   Nowadays the cars are in the parking lot and folks sit in the bays where mechanics once worked. 

  

No, it wasn’t my first time to Brake Pad….I’ve just been remiss about a review.

When we arrived Sunday afternoon the patio was half full, and there was standing room only at the bar as most folks were watching the Braves play.   Many of the tables inside were full, but we managed to find in the back.  I was so tired I was glad to slide into my chair and suck down a Coke.   The waitress quickly brought me another.

The full menu can be seen at the website.   Everything I’ve had from the menu has been great.

This particular trip we order the Chicharrones to start with.   The menu states they have chili lime seasoning, but we didn’t really taste it…..no matter, they were still damn good!

Now, fried pork skins are nothing new.  This Georgia girl grew up on them, but this is the first time I was able to eat them right out of the oil.    They still smacked and spit at us as our waitress placed the basket on the table…..Heck, they still made noises as I was devouring them. 

Yes, I will have them again, but might have to order a basket just for me.

The Mister ordered the Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger which might have been a special or a new addition to the menu because I don’t see it online.    He raved over it.

I order the Steak Tacos and they were superb.   They were served with the expected lettuce and tomato as well as chipotle aioli and some sour cream on the side.   Tortilla chips and some of the best salsa I’ve had in a quite a while found their way onto my plate, too.  The salsa was so good I may order some salsa and chips to go along with our order of Chicharrones the next time I head over to Brake Pad…..which will be soon!

Summer Fruit Salad

Long ago and in a land far, far away I worked as a paralegal.  I ran the firm for an attorney who never came in the office until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, had lovely lunches out every day, and was able to hire a great staff who did most of the typing leaving me to do what I loved at the time….research and writing briefs.   One of my favorite places to have lunch was Cashin’s at Merchant’s Walk.    I loved their salads but was more in love with their poppy seed dressing.   It was great on a salad or their chicken fingers.

I miss Jack Cashin’s restaurant…..so very much.   When I noticed this salad called for poppy seed dressing I had to dry it.

Plus, it’s just lovely to look at.

1 cup bottled poppy seed dressing
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 avocados, thinly sliced
4 cups loosely packed arugula
2 cups halved seedless green grapes
1 mango, julienned
1 cup diced fresh strawberries
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together dressing and grated ginger in a large bowl.  Cut avocado slices in half crosswise; gently toss with dressing mixture.  Add arugula and remaining ingredients; gently toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

8-10 appetizer servings

Chicken and Tortellini Salad

I saw this in a Southern Living magazine and it looked intriguing.  

I mean seriously…..chicken, and tortellini?   You can’t go wrong.

….and I didn’t.  It was good.  Very good, except for the flat leaf parsley.   Very attractive in the salad, and perhaps I’m just becoming a little old lady, but the texture of the parsley was a little difficult to eat.  

I’m thinking next time I’ll cut the amount of parsley down…..and perhaps add in some salad greens such as arugula or romaine.

Try it for yourself and see what you think….

2 (8 oz.) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
½ cup olive oil
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare tortellini according to package directions.  

Process olive oil and next 4 ingredients in a blender until smooth. 

Toss olive oil mixture with tortellini, chicken, and next 3 ingredients.  

Add salt and pepper to taste.

12 to 15 appetizer servings.