Yup, I bought my dried black-eyes and ham this weekend. Gonna have to get my hubby to cook them, though, since I have to work New Year’s Day and they do take a while to cook properly.
I was going to suggest maybe a health or natural foods store, too, Johnny. Maybe Whole Foods or something. Down here we have Henry’s, which has lots of dry goods in bulk, and I would bet they’d have them.
Mmmmm. Sounds good!
Got my ham hocks, bacon, fresh collard greens, an onion, and a roll of biscuits (yes, I know how to make them from scratch; and yes, I know it only takes about 10 minutes – but I’m being lazy).
I’ll soak the beans tonight and cook them tomorrow with two ham hocks. I’ll cook the collard greens with one ham hock and the onion. I have the gravy I made last week, which I can thaw and have on the biscuits with bacon on the side for the next couple of days. Actually, I’ll be eating ham hocks and blackeye peas and collards and ham hocks for about a week! (sigh I have to get a girlfriend, if only to help me eat what I cook! And it’s about time for another prime rib and Yorkshire pudding!)
Dissenting opinion: Ok, now, my parents are from Starkville MS (Stark-veeull Miz-IH-puh) and Montgomery (“Mun-gum-ruh”) AL, but I was born in frikking Alaska and I must admit that one of the greatest joys of living on my own as an adult is NO BLACK EYED PEAS AND HAMHOCKS WITH SUCCOTASH AND CORNBREAD ON NEW YEARS! I used to fake illness to avoid that yearly torment. Yes, I am a shame to my people.
However, chicken livers and rice, now. . .
But… but… ham hocks and blackeyed peas taste good!
Chicken livers? Mmmmm… filtration units of domestic fowl, treated with heat by immersion in the fatty renderings of plants! And by coincidence, I’ve found a place that serves them! Nothing like nice tasty filtration units!
Hey! I’m from Montgomery, and I swear to God I’ve never heard anyone (except that one guy pulled from a flaming wreck and suffering from a gaping head wound) call it “Mun-gum-ruh.”
And good lord, gimme the soul food, baby. The more, the better. Cornbread, homemade biscuits, black-eyed peas, fatback, fried okra, collard greens, hoppin’ john, chow-chow, pork chops, chicken fried steak, green bean casserole, sweet tea, buttermilk.
Man, I’m hungry. Mom, I’m coming home!
Dang you Johnny! I married a Washington state girl and now claim this as my home state. But, you sure made me want to go back to Tejas. You peaked my desire for down home food. I have gone out and bought some dried black eyed peas, ham hocks, turnip greens, frozen okra and corn bread mix. I plan on slicing, breading and frying the okra. Boiled okra tastes fine but the appearance is disturbing to the uninitiated.
OOOOOOOOOh, yeah!! Blackeye peas!!! My ex prefers baby limas (which are OK), but I definitely like the blackeye peas better.
I’m wondering who prefers frozen & who prefers dried. If I’m doing them with hamhocks, I like the dried. If I’m adding them to a stir-fry, I’ll use a bag of frozen.
I have grown turnips, mustard, spinach, chard & lots of salad greens in my garden for several years. I think there actually is a species called collard greens. I’ll check the seed catalogues next month for them.
Mmm. I love collards (but don’t like kale as much, it’s tougher), especially cooked with ham bits.
I haven’t had black-eyed peas in years though. Hmm. Maybe that’s why my luck bites. I should cook up a pot on Wednesday.
Haywood: I need to marry a Washington girl! I’ve got to get out of Los Hideous. But as for “down home cooking”, I must disclose that I’m a native Southern Californian. I just happen to like soul food, so I’ve taught myself how to cook a little of it.
jack@ss: I tried tinned blackeyed peas once. Once. Before that I had, and ever will after, use dried beans.
dwyr: Maybe that’s why your luck bites, but I’m not a firm believer in luck. Still, the tradition/superstition is as good an excuse as any to nosh on some yummy eats.
FWIW, this is how I make the ham’n’beans: Soak the blackeyed peas overnight. Drain and rinse. Toss in a couple of ham hocks and cover with water. Cook in the slow-cooker on high for about six hours. Remove the hamhocks and take out all of the bones and gristle. I know some people eat the skin, but I toss that as well. I prefer to chew on meat than fatty skin. Return the meat to the pot and stir it around. If the meat came easily off of the bone and the beans are tender, then it’s ready to eat. If not, then I’ll cook it for another hour or two.
This is how I’ll cook the greens, unless someone else has a better idea: I’ll sauté the chopped onion and some crushed garlic in some bacon grease. I’ll boil a ham hock in water for about an hour, then add the onions and greens, plus a little vinegar, sugar and salt. I’ll boil it until the meat is falling off of the bones, remove the bones and skin, return the meat to the pot, and by this time the liquid should mostly be gone.
Anyone who disagrees with my greens recipe has about 12 hours to change my mind. (I’ll have plenty to eat on New Year’s Day, so I may as well have some tomorrow!)
For those not in the know, it is essential to soak the beens BEFORE you add the meat. If you don’t they will never soften.
Blackeyed Peas and Ham hocks? Yuck.
I just made a crockpot full of Navy Beans and Ham Hocks.
Add the Ham drippings into the beans, half an onion. yum yum.
I’ve heard of the 'ol black eyed peas for new years, but I can only stand a spoon full.
My brother visited me here in Atlanta a while back and saw the chain restaurant Blackeyed Pea. He said, “Why would anyone name a restaurant after a food that no one likes?”. I couldn’t agree more.
Beans and Hamhock mmmmm.
E3
Well, once you’re here I recommend ducking and running for Austin. The folks here know how to make badass Southern cookin’, but the city is far… groovier than most other places down here. YMMV, but I can’t imagine why. 
First, regarding greens. There’s a significant difference between mustard, turnip and kale greens. They have noticiably different flavors. Personally, I’m partial to turnip greens, but mustard’ll do in a pinch.
Why is it if you can differentiate between 6 or 7 types of lettuce (mesclun?) you’re a Connoisseur , but if you prefer a heartier genus of leaves you’re a redneck?
Second, beans. I must admit that I consider beans God’s gift to mankind (followed closely by rice…). Why, they’re full of nutrients, they’re tasty on their own, they combine with other savory flavors in interesting ways, they’re cheap. All that and they aren’t even bad for you.
I like blackeyes. I like navy beans. I like black beans, pintos, great northerns, garbonzos, lentils and cranberries. It’s funny that the members of such a plebian family boast such subtle differences in taste.
All my life I’ve been told by the people I love that eating blackeyed peas and rice on New Year’s Day is good luck. I’m telling my children the same thing. Can’t hurt.
You must excuse me now. I’ve got the ham bone from the Christmas ham in the fridge to start boiling early in the morning. I’ve got both frozen and canned blackeyed peas in the house, but if I run across fresh ones on the morrow, you can rest assured I’ll plop down the dollar or two it’ll take to secure them. And me and mine will eat well on Wednesday, and (with the grace of God) enjoy good luck during '03.
I saved the bone from the Christmas ham to cook with blackeyed peas, too, Frank. But I’ve never cooked them before. What’s your take on making blackeyes with a hambone? Is it pretty much the same as Johnny’s method above?
New Year’s Day dinner (served at app. 1 pm, we Southerners have breakfast, dinner and supper) will consist of:
Meatloaf (cause I’m sick of ham and don’t wanna fry chicken)
Macaroni and Cheese
Blackeyed Peas (cooked with hamhock)
Collard Greens (cooked with hamhock)
Rice (gotta have it with the peas)
Cornbread
Peach Cobbler
All lovingly prepared with my own two hands. There will be 12 people over to help eat it all up. I feel it is my duty to start my friends’ New Year off right with all the traditional New Year’s foods.
And please, by all means, if your using the dried beans, soak em first.
Juniper200 follow Johnny L.A.'s directions for the peas and you can’t go wrong.
If you’re in Austin, you can’t beat Threadgill’s, especially for the vegatables. This is one of the few places I will order the vegatable plate, foregoing meat, because I can’t choose between them.
Growing up we enjoyed various pots of beans - navy or a mixed pot. I’ve never had blackeyed with ham hocks though. They were normally a side-dish veggie, which only Dad and I would eat.
We did have pots of beans at least once a month. One thing my Dad and I did was crumble a small piece of cornbread into the beans, then drizzle a wee bit of honey on top (or honey the bread then crumble it in). Mom always thought we were weird, but it is really good.
Just finished my BEP and collards, so’s they can sit in the fridge overnight and get better. I started with frozen BEPs, which are much better than canned, and you don’t have to soak them overnight. About a quarter-pound of salt pork got cubed and boiled to soften, then drained and rendered in dripping. Half an onion,some celery and two cloves of garlic went in and got transparent. Then the frozen peas, along with a heck of a lot of black pepper, some salt, about a tablespoon of Paul Prudhomme’s Seasoning Magic (salt-free), two bay leaves and turkey stock. Covered and simmered until the beans were tender, then mashed a few with the side of the spoon so the juices would thicken. Minced parsley got stirred in and seasonings adjusted.
While they were simmering, I did the greens. Half mustard, half collard, chopped into about half-inch strips. Bacon grease was heated, then the other half of the onion, chopped, went in and got browned. The greens were tossed in, along with salt, pepper, and about two pinches of sugar. Then two tablespoons of cider vinegar and some turkey stock were added, and the pot was covered. Greens are done when everything is a uniform olive-drab.
If the pork fat scares you, you can use smoked turkey wings or necks-adds the right amount of flavor with about half the fat.
And yes, I cheated and had a small plate for lunch. Damn fine, if not as good as my grandma’s. And I’ll make scratch biscuits, as I don’t like cornbread.
Even as I type this, I’m eating hamhock and blackeyed peas. In a very few moments, I’ll have some hamhock and collard greens.
Mmmmmm! That deadpiggie’s so tender!