As Southerners know it is essential to eat Hoppin' John on New Year's Day as this dish of black eyed peas is thought to bring luck and wealth for the New Year. Recipes for this vary widely but basically it's black eyed peas, ham hock, onion and salt.
See: ( Hoppin' John, Southern Living, Jan 2005, by Jones, Scott.)
So, what if you're not sure of your Hoppin' John cooking skills but don't want to miss out on all that good luck and wealth for 2009? Try calling these downtown spots ahead for Hoppin' John to go:
Miss Cordelia's, 901-526-4772
Frank's Main Street Market told me their deli will make anything anyone requests but I would call ahead anyway, 523-0101
You'll also need to get some champagne to bring in the new year. This month's Bon Appetit magazine is touting the virtues of Rosé Champagne. The Corkscrew downtown carries a few varieties of this pink bubbly.
4 comments:
It is so strange, I have lived in "the south" :) since the early 90's, and I have never heard of this until this year. I've read a few other blogs about the black yed peas thing on New Year's. Apparently I've had my head up my.....for almost 20 years.
ha - No worries - pop open a bottle of pink champagne to drink with your b.e.p's and you'll be straight.
Whoooaaa!!! You need to worn us daily bloggers that you were making drastic changes. The new look is fabulous!!! Blog On.
Thanks for the reminder! Because I don't eat meat, I started making a New Year's soup with b.e.p.s, roasted red peppers, sweet potatoes, and Chinese five-spice powder...none of them thar ham hocks. I sub toasted sesame oil and that kind of gives the smoky flavor. Happy New Year! Buon Capodanno!
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