A New Year's Tradition: Black-Eyed Peas, Cabbage, and Cornbread
I know you’re sick of being in the kitchen after days of prep and recovery from Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. But, as tradition has it— you’ve got one more special meal to cook.
Cornbread is said to symbolize gold, cabbage is said to represent money (dollar bills) hence its color, and black-eyed peas symbolize prosperity (coins).
A lot of people cook both the cabbage and black eyed peas with pork called “salt meat”, but you’ll never see a recipe on Savored by Sadie that includes pork or its by-products.
As far as meat goes, tradition has it that poultry is bad luck but we don’t believe that in my family. We fry up some chicken wings and serve the yard bird right alongside those “good luck” foods.
Cornbread
What you’ll need:
2 cups cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons melted butter (plus more for the skillet)
Optional to taste:
Honey
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
How to:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease skillet and place in oven.
2) In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Whisk to blend thoroughly.
3) In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and butter.
4) Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until blended. Carefully remove the hot cast iron pan from the oven. Pour the batter into the sizzling skillet.
5) Return the skillet to the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 375 F, and bake for about 20 to 24 minutes, until golden brown.
6) If using optional ingredients, mix honey, cinnamon, and brown sugar into a bowl and drizzle on top of cornbread. Cut into slices and serve.
Cabbage
This recipe uses smoked turkey, butter, and chicken broth but can be adapted to vegan by simply using vegetable broth and olive oil.
What you’ll need:
1 large head of cabbage, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1-2 fully-cooked smoked turkey neck or wing
Seasoning to taste:
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Tony’s
How to:
1) In a skillet, brown smoked turkey parts with onion. Cut into large pieces.
2) Add broth to mix and boil turkey parts until slightly tender.
3) Add all remaining ingredients to pot and until cabbage is tender, cooking for about 20 minutes.
Pro tip: use smoked salt to get great flavor without meat.
Black-Eyed Peas
Some people don’t mind slaving over the stove and the constant stirring of the pot. But, after all that holiday cooking, it’s only right to give you a slow-cooker recipe that requires a lot less attention.
What you’ll need:
1 (16-ounce) package dried black-eyed peas
3 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic smashed
1 -2 smoked turkey necks or wings
2 bay leaves
Seasoning to taste:
Salt
Pepper
Tony’s
Garlic powder
Onion powder
How to:
1) Overnight, soak black-eyed peas in water.
2) In a skillet, brown turkey parts and cut.
3) In crockpot, combine all ingredients and cook on high for 4-6 hours. Season to taste
Pro tip: use smoked salt to get great flavor without meat.