How to Make a Southern New Year's Meal

Ring in the New Year with a traditional southern meal. Although the menu varies slightly from region to region in the South, each of the different foods represents a good wish for the year to come. With black-eyed peas symbolizing luck, mustard, turnip or collard greens representing money and ham for never going hungry, this tasty meal is delicious as well as lucky. Read on to learn how to make it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Black-eyed peas
• Greens
• Ham
• Bacon or fatback for seasoning
• Corn bread

1. Start preparations for this traditional southern New Year's meal by rinsing and soaking dried black-eyed peas. Soaking overnight is usually recommended, or follow the quick cook method described on the back of the bag.
2. Cook peas according to directions. Most southern cooks like to season their peas with fatback or bacon. If you prefer the easy route, just open a can of black-eyed peas and heat thoroughly. The peas may be served with rice in some parts of the South, and this combination is called "hoppin' John."
3. Wash and rinse greens well. The choice of greens is a personal one, though most people find turnip greens more tender and less bitter than mustard and collard greens. Chop the greens into small pieces, or, if preferred, remove the harder stems before cooking.
4. Prepare the ham in whichever way is preferred. Traditionally the meat was a ham hock, but has evolved to ham, which has less fat.
5. Make corn bread to round out the meal. Recipes can be found online or a packaged mix will work as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Chopped onion is a tasty addition to both black-eyed peas and greens.
• Greens come canned and even southern style.