New Year's Day

In Tennessee, you must eat black-eyed peas for good luck on New Year's Day. Black-eyed peas are thought to represent wealth in coins, while collard greens symbolize greenbacks. Making a big pot of black-eyed peas is easy and, if you add rice, you have Hoppin' John. Here's how to make a pot of black-eyed peas.

Soak two pounds of peas in plenty of water overnight or for about 6 hours. Drain, and place in large dutch oven or other heavy pot. Add a ham hock, rinsed, a stalk of celery, a half of a yellow onion, two bay leaves, and a whole dried chile such as a guajillo. Don't add salt until the peas are cooked. Add cold water to cover by at least an inch or two.

Bring peas to a boil, and skim the meat scum that will come from the hock. Simmer (active bubbles but don't boil) for an hour. Check peas for tenderness. Once the peas are tender, remove the hock, celery, onion, bay leaves, and pepper. Remove excess water with a ladle until the peas are as soupy or as dry as you like. Remove good meat from the hock and chop finely. Throw ham back into the peas, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Good luck!