Luck By The Spoonful

Considering the real estate market, stock market, war — and maybe there’s some pestilence out there, who knows? — we all could use a dose of good luck. And when it comes to foods associated with luck in the new year, "there’s a bunch," said food historian Francine Segan of New York.

Most of them, it seems, have some logical association with either good luck or prosperity, or both. Among the biggies, Segan said, is Hoppin’ John, a beans and rice dish that’s popular in the South, where it’s practically required eating on New Year’s Day. The reason, she said, is that beans and rice swell when they’re prepared. "You start out with a handful and it more than doubles," which reinforces the idea of prosperity.

When Mike Mills was growing up at the very southern tip of Illinois, people didn’t call it Hoppin’ John — that name’s more common farther south, he said — but they ate it just the same. The tradition involved beans of some type, whether black-eyed peas, butter beans, limas, pintos or Great Northern beans. And it can vary greatly between regions as little as 100 miles apart, noted Mills, owner of Memphis Championship Barbecue.

Other cultures associate good luck with fish, the symbol of life and luck. Segan said that’s most common among Chinese, Japanese and Italian people. The Japanese, she said, "believe that if you want to live a long life, you should eat shrimp, because it’s curved, kind of like an old person’s back."

Noodles and pasta are considered good luck by Asians and Italians, she said, because the elongated shape signifies a long life.

Salt is as well, because it once was a valued commodity — available only to the wealthy — and was considered magical. Segan said an old superstition is that one shouldn’t lend salt but only give it as a gift, because you don’t want to lend your good luck.

Oranges, she said, were considered good luck during the Renaissance — which carried over into the Victorian age — because they’re the color of gold.

The traditional good-luck dish of cabbage popular with Germanic cultures can be traced to ancient Greece, Segan said, not only because it’s green, like money, but also because it’s so tightly packed that one head can feed many people.

"It’s the idea that there’s so many leaves and so many layers," she said.

Pork — also considered lucky among Germanic cultures — is associated with the rooting pig putting his snout forward, and therefore the idea of moving ahead.

Beth Pokorny, owner of Cajun Connection catering service and a native of New Orleans, said her family traditionally serves several of the good-luck dishes "for health, wealth and prosperity."

Black-eyed peas are a must, she said, as is cooking them with pork and serving a mixture of green leafy vegetables, including turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens and cabbage.

"For as long as I can remember, we had these dishes on the table every New Year’s Day," she said.

Generally, the traditions aren’t very visible in Southern Nevada, although Mills serves black-eyed peas in his restaurants on New Year’s Day.

"I noticed when I came out here that nobody was doing any of it," he said. "I didn’t see any tradition."

And like a lot of people who grew up associating certain foods with New Year’s Day, he gets a little nervous about the idea of skipping the black-eyed peas at the turn of the year.

"I’m not superstitious," Mills said. "But at the same time, I don’t believe in taking any chances."

 

HOPPIN’ JOHN

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large ham hock

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed

1 quart chicken stock

Bay leaf

1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves

Salt, black pepper and cayenne

3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion for garnish

3 cups steamed white rice

Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic; cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaf, thyme and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stirring occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasoning, and garnish with green onion. Serve over rice.

Serves 10.

— Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, via the Food Network

 

HOPPIN’ JOHN SALAD

WITH MOLASSES DRESSING

 

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (1-pound) bag frozen black-eyed peas

11/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled yam (red-skinned sweet potato)

2 cups 1/2-inch cubes andouille sausage (about 12 ounces)

11/2 cups frozen sliced okra, thawed, patted dry

1 cup chopped red onion

Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper.

Cook black-eyed peas and yam in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain; cool. Place in large bowl. Add andouille, okra and onion. Add enough dressing to coat and toss.

Serves 6 to 8.

— Recipe from Bon Appetit magazine

 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

COLLARD GREENS

 

4 pounds young collard greens (about 4 bunches)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, julienned

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 large ham hocks (about 2 pounds), smoked and cooked

2 bay leaves

2 quarts chicken broth, low sodium

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Seasoned salt

To prepare the greens: Cut away the tough stalks and stems from the collards and discard any leaves that are bruised or yellow. Fill the sink with water and salt (the salt helps to remove any impurities). Wash the collards thoroughly — two or three times — until the water runs clear to make sure the grit is removed. Dry thoroughly. Stack up several leaves and hand-shred them into ribbonlike pieces (chiffonade). Repeat until all the leaves are shredded.

Coat a 6-quart stockpot with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, stir to coat, then add the ham hocks and bay leaves; cook about 8 minutes. Pack in the greens, pushing them down into the pot. Add the broth, vinegar, sugar and red pepper flakes.

Bring up to a hard boil for 10 minutes, until greens start to wilt. Turn the greens over with a wooden spoon; do not stir. Lower to a gentle boil, cover the pot and let cook for 45 minutes. Taste the "pot liquor" (broth) and check the seasoning; add seasoned salt to taste. Cover and let cook for 15 more minutes.

Serves 6 to 8.

— Recipe from the Food Network

 

SAGE-ROASTED PORK

TENDERLOIN WITH

CARBONARA CABBAGE

For the pork rub:

11/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1/4 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the pork:

2 pork tenderloins (12 to 14 ounces each)

 

For the cabbage:

1/2 small head green cabbage, sliced thinly

11/2 cups heavy cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 pound pancetta, diced small

1/6 cup (half of 1/3 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup fresh spinach, chopped

Place kosher salt, pepper, garlic, sage and olive oil in a food processor; puree until sage and garlic are blended. Season pork generously with the rub. Grill over direct heat until 160 degrees internal temperature, as measured with an instant-read thermometer.

Meanwhile, in a large pot boil one gallon of water and 1 teaspoon salt. Add cabbage and blanch approximately 3 minutes or until tender; drain immediately and rinse in colander with very cold water.

In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer cream and garlic until reduced by half.

Place pancetta in a large skillet and brown until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. In same skillet, stir together cream, cabbage, pancetta, cheese and spinach over medium heat until warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sliced pork.

Serves 4 to 6.

— Recipe from the National Pork Board

 

POLISH SAUSAGE WITH CABBAGE

 

1 12-ounce can beer

Water

2 12-ounce packages fully cooked Polish sausage

1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped

1/2 head red cabbage, coarsely chopped

3/4 teaspoon caraway seed

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

In a four-quart Dutch oven combine the beer and enough water to cover sausage. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and add sausage. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove sausage. Add cabbage, caraway seed, sugar and salt to cooking liquid; mix well. Top with sausage. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain to serve.

Serves 6

— Recipe from the National Pork Board

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0474.