When I was a child, I took my mother’s New Year’s superstitions somewhat literally.
Greens for folding money. Black-eyed peas for coins. She’d call our wonderful neighbor, Mr. Roy Boutwell, and ask him to come over first thing. Seems fortune won’t smile on you if the first person to enter your house on Jan. 1 is not some fine, upstanding example of a man.
Today I know these New Year’s rituals are more about tradition and fun than logic and expectation. And, yet, when it comes to money, luck and health, I’m not one to risk it, not after 2020.
Besides, I love collards, kale, mustard, cabbage or turnip greens, simmered with hog jowl, ham hock or bacon; a wedge of cornbread for sopping up the pot liquor; and a bowl of black-eyed peas with rice. (That would be hoppin’ John in some quarters.) Just bring on the chow-chow; the chopped onion; the hot sauce and that Southern staple, pepper sauce.
So here’s how I spend every New Year’s: First, I get the greens and peas to boiling. Then I fix a bloody mary. Unless I forget to bake the cornbread, this midafternoon meal virtually finishes itself. Over the years, I’ve found this simple menu to be a gracious plenty for family and friends. Still, sometimes you want to set a fancier table, in which case there’s the matter of the main.
What to cook?
Pork seems to be a New Year’s Day go-to for many. You can’t go wrong with Boston butt or picnic shoulder, remarkably forgiving cuts that render magnificent, falling-apart tender meat, whether smoked on a grill or roasted for hours in the oven. Pork chops are another winner. I’m a big fan of Atlanta chef Anne Quatrano’s Browned Pork Chops with Tomato Gravy. Fried in bacon fat, finished in the oven, smothered in tomatoes and served with the actual bacon crumbled on top, the chops are country cooking at its finest, elegant enough for company, too.
Tomatoes and spice are a good way to perk up food that pairs well with rice. You can find many examples scattered throughout the African diaspora, from the American South to the Caribbean to Brazil.
Credit: Courtesy of Bar Mercado
Credit: Courtesy of Bar Mercado
Raul Dominguez, the executive chef at Bar Mercado at Krog Street Market, makes an exquisite ropa vieja, the classic Cuban dish of shredded beef with a name that translates, appropriately, as “old clothes.” For his elevated version, Dominguez braises short ribs in wine from Rioja, Spain. When I asked for a recipe to cook at home, he suggested chuck flap, a less expensive cut that pulls apart nicely after a long braise. If you have time, make Dominguez’s ropa the day before; it’s better after a night’s rest in the fridge.
As I researched this story, I found many wonderful ideas in Marcus Samuelsson’s new cookbook, “The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food” (Little Brown, $38), in which the celebrity chef pays tribute to Black cooks that make America great. I’m intrigued by his Coconut Fried Chicken with Sweet Hot Sauce and Platanos; Shrimp Fritters with Bitter Greens and Grapefruit; Country-Style Spare Ribs with Pickled Greens Slaw; Good Vibes Curry Goat; and Fish Cakes with Birmingham Greens Salad. (The latter is a love letter to Mashama Bailey, executive chef and partner at the Grey in Savannah.) Note that some of these offerings include a green component, so you can check that off your eating agenda for the day.
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
Another bounty of inspiration for a New Year’s feast is Toni Tipton-Martin’s “Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking.” Perusing this essential book, I drool over Caribbean Roast Pork, Jamaican Jerk Ribs, Pork Chops with Rich Lemon Caper Sauce, Creole Fried Chicken, Louisiana Barbecue Shrimp, and the recipe I ultimately tested and loved: Catfish Étouffée. That is some good gravy, y’all.
Now back to the ever-popular pork. A few years ago, I tried Erin French’s Slow-Roasted Pork Picnic Shoulder with Cinnamon & Rosemary. Turns out this Yankee chef from Maine knows from pig. I tested it again for this story; once more, it blew me away.
Here’s a superstition for you: Savor good food on New Year’s Day, and you’ll eat well all year long. I just made that up. But I bet Mama would approve.
Recipes: Main dishes for the New Year’s Table
New Year’s rituals are more about tradition and fun than logic and expectation. Traditional sides include collards, black-eye peas and cornbread.
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
Raul Dominguez’s Ropa Vieja
Dominguez, the executive chef at Bar Mercado, serves his ropa with black beans, rice and fried yucca. For New Year’s Day, we’ll go with rice, black-eyed peas and a pot of collards. For a colorful presentation, Dominguez suggests sauteing sliced onions and peppers, and adding that to the platter. That’s an extra step that may not be necessary, considering how the ropa shines on its own.
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
Toni Tipton-Martin’s Catfish Étouffée
Louisiana’s étouffées are traditionally made with shellfish, but Tipton-Martin opts for catfish smother-fried in a rich, buttery, somewhat spicy gravy. Serve with rice or grits.
Adapted from “Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking” by Toni Tipton-Martin (Clarkson Potter, $35).
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
Erin French’s Slow-Roasted Pork Picnic Shoulder with Cinnamon & Rosemary
From the chef behind the Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine, this is a super-easy and somewhat surprising spin on roast pork. (It’s the cinnamon.) Cooked for five hours, the meat comes out ultra-tender, and the spice rub gives it a nice crusty bark. I used Boston butt, and the leftovers made fantastic tacos. One note: You’ll need to plan in advance. The recipe calls for coating the pork with the spice rub to marinate overnight.
Adapted from “The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine” by Erin French (Clarkson Potter, $32.50).
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