A new year is nearly upon us, and if you’re like me you’re probably already thinking about what you want your first meal of 2022 to be. There are many New Year’s food traditions around the world, with the consumption of certain foods promising happiness, health and wealth. While there’s no way to prove these claims, there’s no question that comforting foods like black-eyed peas and collard greens are a great way to kick off the new year. I hope you enjoy one or more of these chef-curated recipes, and that 2022 is your best year yet.
Braised Collard Greens
Recipe by Bryce Shuman, executive chef of Sweetbriar in New York City
“Collard greens have long been a tradition in my family, growing up in North Carolina,” Bryce said. “Eaten on New Year’s Day with black-eyed peas and ham hocks or hog jowl, they are said to bring good luck and a prosperous year to come. Collards being green are thought by some to represent money. I’ve even heard that a collard leaf above your door protects you from evil spirits, preventing them from entering. People prepare collards in a variety of ways, but I prefer to eat my collards braised for a long time until they are tender and soft and almost creamy with the fat of whatever meat you choose to cook them with. As far as I’m concerned, you can use smoked turkey necks, ham hocks, bacon or fatback. I always use a good stock and finish them with a little cider vinegar. The smell of collards cooking is intoxicating and always brings me back.”
Recipe for Braised Collard Greens
Yields 4 servings
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Ingredients:
4 lb collard greens
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 smoked turkey necks
Pinch dried red pepper flakes
1 qt chicken stock
2 Tbsp butter (optional)
Dash cider vinegar
Salt, to taste
Texas Pete hot sauce, to taste
Directions:
First, prepare the collards. Cut the greens away from the stems. Wash the leaves and dry them. Cut them into 1-inch squares.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot until hot and then brown the smoked turkey necks nicely. Add the collards to the pan and sauté the greens on high. Add chili flakes.
Continue to sauté the greens on high until they begin to wilt completely. Once wilted, turn the heat to medium and add 1 cup of the chicken stock, bring it to a simmer, and cover.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes covered. Remove the lid, let the chicken stock cook down, then add another cup of chicken stock. Repeat this process 3 more times.
After about an hour of cooking, cook the last of the stock down, pick the meat from the bones of the turkey neck, add the butter and stir it in. Season with vinegar and salt. I like to eat my collards with some nice hot sauce like Texas Pete. It’s good on hushpuppies too!
Black-Eyed Peas
Recipe by Kevin Bludso, pitmaster, cookbook author and judge on Netflix’s American Barbecue Showdown
“When you cook this recipe, remember that black-eyed peas look like beans and feel like beans, but they’re peas, which means they cook quicker than beans,” Kevin said. “They are really starchy and cook fast, so you have to stir a lot to make sure you don’t let them char up on the bottom of the pot. If they do, you’ll have messed up the whole pot, and there’ll be no good luck for you the whole year.”
Recipe for Black-Eyed Peas
Yields 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
4 3/4 qt water, or as needed
2 lb smoked pork neck bones
1 smoked ham hock (optional)
1/4 c chicken bouillon powder
4 serrano chiles, stemmed
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 c white onion, finely chopped
1 c celery, finely chopped
1 c green bell pepper, finely chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 lb dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and sorted
1/4 c finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp dark chili powder
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions:
In a large stockpot over high heat, combine the water, neck bones, ham hock (if using), bouillon powder, serranos and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to a simmer, and let simmer until the meat is fall-apart tender, 2 to 3 hours.
When the meat is close to becoming tender, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until all the vegetables are wilted, about 6 minutes. Set aside off the heat.
Once the meat is tender, taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper, if needed. Add the black-eyed peas, vegetable mixture, garlic, chili powder, thyme and cayenne (if using) and stir well. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the black-eyed peas are fully tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on the water level throughout the cook and add warm water if needed to maintain the level, being careful not to add too much and dilute the broth. When the black-eyed peas are cooked, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
Serve the black-eyed peas in bowls with some of the meat and broth.
Lovely Lentil Soup
Recipe by Lisa Dahl, executive chef and owner of Dahl Restaurant Group in Sedona, Arizona, author of A Romance with Food
“We serve this soup in our restaurants at New Year’s for good luck,” Lisa said. “I love its versatility—it’s a vegan-friendly soup, but adding sautéed spicy Italian sausage or chorizo makes for a heartier stew. Serve it with a seasonal salad and you have an outstanding fall or winter comfort meal to enjoy in front of a fireplace. The key is to allow the sofrito portion to slowly caramelize to bring out the sultry, aromatic flavors. Bringing the sofrito and lentils together and allowing enough time for those flavors to meld will make this all the more savory and satisfying.”
Lisa notes that this recipe will make a generous gallon of soup. If you’re not feeding a crowd, it can be stored in airtight containers and frozen to enjoy in the future. Alternatively, you can halve the recipe with ease.
Recipe for Lovely Lentil Soup
Yields approximately 10 servings
For the Lentils:
4 qt vegetable stock, plus more to thin soup if needed
4 c green lentils, washed
3-4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp salt
Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a heavy enamel or non reactive stainless steel stockpot.
Carefully add washed lentils, bay leaves and salt. Reduce heat and continue to cook, covered, at a gentle boil, about 45 minutes or more, until soft and tender. From time to time, skim off any foam that rises to the top. While the lentils are cooking, prepare the sofrito.
For the Sofrito:
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c carrots, 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 c celery, 1/4-inch dice
2 c onions, 1/4-inch dice
2 c red peppers, 1/4-inch dice
2 Tbsp aceite de serrano with solids (optional; or substitute seeded serrano peppers)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander (optional)
2 tsp oregano
Salt, to taste
1-1 1/2 c marinara sauce
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 c minced parsley
Truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Heat olive oil in a medium gauge sauté pan over medium-high heat until oil is hot. Add carrots and reduce heat to medium. Sauté until carrots become golden, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
Add celery, onions and peppers and continue to sauté until all vegetables have become tender and golden, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Lower the heat slightly, add aceite de serrano and garlic. Continue cooking and season the mixture with cumin, coriander if desired, oregano and a scant sprinkling of salt, allowing the aromatic spices to fully roast for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add marinara and gently cook over low heat for another 4 to 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to concentrate. Turn off heat and allow sofrito to rest.
Meanwhile, remove bay leaves from the lentil mixture. Using an immersion blender, gently blend the lentils and liquid without fully pureeing the mixture.
Carefully add sofrito mixture into lentil broth and continue to simmer gently for 45 minutes to an hour, thinning with additional vegetable broth as needed, until consistency and flavor are velvety and rich. Add sherry vinegar and freshly minced parsley in the final moments of cooking. Adjust seasonings to taste.
When serving, drizzle with truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil.
Spiced Grapes
Recipe by Jenn Town, executive chef of TRIO Restaurant in Palm Springs, California
“I spent one of my most memorable New Year’s Eves in Barcelona, where it is tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight for good luck and prosperity in the next year,” Jenn said. “Every New Year’s Eve, I make my own take on spiced grapes to use as a cheesecake topping. At home, cooks can use their favorite cheesecake recipe or even buy one from the store, making for a delicious, yet accessible way to bring some luck to their New Year’s Eve dinner. If you’re not a cheesecake fan, the spiced grapes are also a great addition to a charcuterie board! The grapes bring back great memories for me and I hope to bring good luck and prosperity to all that get to enjoy them, too.
Recipe for Spiced Grapes
Yields 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
1 bag red seedless grapes picked off the stem
1 c red wine
1 c ruby port
1 c water
1 c Sugar In The Raw
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
2 whole cloves
Put the cinnamon stick, star anise and whole cloves in cheesecloth and wrap up with twine.
Put all ingredients including the wrapped spices into a medium sized pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. It is done when the grapes are soft and just starting to burst open.
Transfer to a container including the wrapped spices and allow to cool in the fridge. Once completely cool it is ready to use. If time allows it is best to make these grapes a day or two before you want to use them.
Bourbon Glazed Prosperous Pork Belly
Recipe by Marya Moore, director of food and beverage, and Rohan Salesman, banquet chef, at The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa in South Carolina
“Every chef knows the new year brings new challenges, new ideas, creativity and hard work,” Marya said. “We want to make sure we start the year right. Rohan and I have worked together on and off for 14 years at three hotels. Every year we are together, we cook a meal to start the new year off on the right side of luck and to help bring us prosperity and wealth from the inside out! With this Bourbon Glazed Prosperous Pork Belly, we bring on the bacon in hopes of prosperity and embracing the challenges in the year ahead.”
Recipe for Bourbon Glazed Prosperous Pork Belly
Yields 8 servings
Ingredients:
3 lb pork belly
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1/2 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, halved
1/4 c V8 juice
1/2 c orange juice
1/4 c honey
1 1/2 c apple juice
1 1/2 c vegetable stock
4 bay leaves
Handful fresh thyme sprigs
1 c bourbon
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat a large cast iron skillet or roasting pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Season the pork belly with salt and pepper. Sear, fat side down, until evenly browned, about 7 minutes on each side.
Remove the pork from the skillet. Add the celery, carrots, onions and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
Add V8, half the orange juice, honey, apple juice and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add bay leaves and thyme.
Place the pork belly back into the skillet, fat side up. Cover loosely with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour. Add more stock to the pan if needed and continue to cook the pork belly until fork tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 more hours. Allow the pork to cool with the liquid in the skillet.
While the pork is cooling, make the glaze. Remove 2 cups of the cooking liquid and, in a separate pot, bring it to a boil and reduce by half, about 10 minutes.
Add bourbon, brown sugar, soy sauce, the rest of the orange juice, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and reduce until thick and syrupy, about 15 minutes.
When the pork has cooled, cut into 8 square portions. Brush the glaze on the fat side of the pork belly and roast it in the oven until the top is crispy and the center is hot, about 5 minutes. Serve over a bed of greens.
