Lucky Stew for New Year's Day

We Southerners take our traditions seriously. Sugar in our tea, football and black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, just to name a few. Why? Black-eyed peas are supposed to bring you luck! And when you eat them with greens (turnip, collards, mustard, kale) they represent coins while the greens represent paper money. Add a little cornbread to that and you're supposed to have gold coming your way. All that sounds fine by me!

Here's a delicious soup that takes care of two of the three. And you know I'll make a big pan of cornbread to butter and eat along with this! This recipe tastes best after it's sat a day or two in the fridge, so I'm making it as we speak so we can have it for lunch New Year's Day. I wanted to go ahead and give you the recipe in case you want to make it for Friday. Tomorrow will be fine!

Lucky Stew

2 tbsp EVOO

2 cups diced ham (about one ham steak)

1 large yellow onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 quarts chicken stock

1 (16 oz) package frozen turnip greens, thawed

1 can blackeyed peas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

hot sauce to taste

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Dice the onion and ham. I removed the ham bone, excessive fat and the thick rind.

I cut it into half inch cubes. 

Heat dutch oven and EVOO and add ham and onion.

Cook for ten minutes on medium, stirring occasionally.

Onions will soften, fat on ham will render and ham will take on a little color.

Add peas, greens, vinegar, hot sauce and salt/pepper.

Add chicken stock. I like to use stock instead of broth for a bolder, richer flavor in this soup.

Mix well.

Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.

Simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes. After that, I'll remove it from the heat, let it cool an hour or so and then set my covered dutch oven in the fridge until Friday. Reheat before serving.

I hope this brings you lots of luck!

Happy New Year!

I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!

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