Like many, the New Year is welcomed with a buffet of hope for good fortune. The greens for money, the beans for good luck and more.
More recipes for the New Year
The greens, like the cabbage my family partakes in, symbolize money. If, like many of us, you’d rather not tempt fate, you down a healthy serving to assure good fortune.
Here’s the simple cabbage recipe I use and enjoy.
Greens
Fried Cabbage
6 slices of bacon, chopped
Head of cabbage, chopped and blanched
1/4 cup of butter
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
In a large skillet, cook the bacon. Once bacon is crisp, add butter, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or so. Add the cabbage and stir it to incorporate the mixture. Cook to desired tenderness of cabbage.
Beans
Beans (not just black-eyed peas) also represent money, but the black-eyed beans are the most popular.
My black-eyed peas recipe is simple.
I boil pre-soaked black-eyed peas (found in the vegetable section of my grocery store) along with a piece of salt pork, and salt to taste.
You may dice tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeno, if you like, but I use a legal cheat. I buy fresh pico de gallo (look it has all the diced ingredients I need!). It’s also found in the fresh veggie section.
As the beans cook, add about 3 tablespoons of the pico de gallo. When the beans near desired tenderness, I toss in the remainder.
More
Other traditions have been picked up along the way, including the practice of eating 12 grapes – one for each month – at the stoke of midnight. Hopefully each grape is sweet because each grape correlates to each month. Finish them before 12:01 a.m. I have no idea what the consequences are if you don’t. 🙂
Round or ring cakes like Rosca de Reyes are also thought to bring good fortune. In our family, we enjoyed the crispy goodness of round bunuelos – fried tortillas coated with cinnamon and sugar.
Something I was unaware of is the custom of eating pork. Apparently, their habits represent moving forward and their rich, fat bodies signifies wealth and prosperity.
However you ring in 2015, I hope the new year brings you every bit of prosperity and good fortune.
Happy 2015!
