Black-Eyed Peas and Hog Jowl - New Year's Day Tradition

Black-Eyed Peas and Hog Jowl
Originally uploaded by TagDragon

In the South, at least where I come from, you eat black-eyed peas and hog jowl on New Year’s Day to bring good luck for the upcoming year. Some regions are slightly different like Hoppin’ Johns, a black-eye pea and rice dish, or black-eyed peas and collard greens. But for me, we had black-eyed peas and hog jowl every January 1st. I like black-eyed peas, though I prefer purple hull peas. Hog jowl is from the jaw/jowl/check of a hog and is like fatty bacon (if that is at all possible). It can be a little difficult to find. I went into a grocery in one of the more affluent areas of St. Louis and after looking in the meat section and not finding it asked the butcher who gave me a little smirk and said “No, you will not find that in this store.” All I can say to you citizens of Frontenac is that 2009 will not be kind to you. Lucky for me, I did finally find some hog jowl and 2009 is going to be a good year.

This is not culinary masterpiece. Having it once a year will be fine for most. But, it’s tradition, fun to do, and it's for good luck. It can't hurt. I served mine with some picked onions I made a year or so back.

Ingredients
1 small slab of Hog Jowl
1 15 ounce can Black-Eyed Peas
Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper

Cut the hog jowl into thin bacon like strips. In a large skillet, fry hog jowl over medium low to medium heat until desired doneness and crispness. Place hog jowl on a platter lined with paper towel to drain. During this time, heat black eyes peas in a sauce pan over medium heat until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves good luck for 365 days


I find hog howl in a whole piece. But, I have read on other blogs where they have found it pre-sliced. I have never found it that way. If you slightly freeze your hog jowl, it will make slicing it a little easier – about 20 minutes in your freezer. You will get a good amount of fat renderings from the hog jowl and if you fry it too hot a lot of smoke.

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

Happy New Year, y'all!

Last night we co-hosted a New Year's Eve party with the Nemanicks at their house. I love all the preparations that lead up to a big party and it was great fun to be able to tackle the effort as a team of 4 (Chris & me, Rik & Dawn). Rik and I both love to cook, so we split the responsibilities for food prep. We went with easy dishes that can fuel a crowd; having thrown a New Year's Eve party for more than 5 years I've learned that people will politely nibble and graze up to midnight, then once the champagne kicks in they're diving into the food like they haven't eaten in weeks.

One of the dishes I made is a perennial favorite - Cowboy Caviar. Tagert actually introduced us all to this dish several years ago, and we've all started making it for parties. It's a simple yet delicious mix of black-eyed peas and spices that you can serve as a dip with chips, and since black-eyed peas are a New Year's Day tradition in many parts of the country, I thought this was a clever dish to crank out for a New Year's Eve crowd.

I always make too much, by design. The flavors continue to develop over a couple of days, so I use leftovers as a topping for chicken or rice. Oh, one last thing - I (we) use canned black-eyed peas. I've tried using the dried ones and preparing them from scratch, but honestly the flavor wasn't any better and it was WAAAY more complicated that just opening a few cans. I know, I know...but look, when you're cooking for a crowd you want to figure out some dishes that you can easily throw together with a delicious result, and this recipe definitely fits those requirements. Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 cans black-eyed peas, drained
2 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 T cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T vegetable oil
2 T cider vinegar
Juice and zest of 1 lime

Combine ingredients in a big bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to develop. Serve with chips, or as an accompaniment to meats or rice. (Told you it was simple!)

Tapenade with Sun Dried Tomato

Tapenade with Sun Dried Tomato
Originally uploaded by TagDragon

I’m a fan tapenade. And with the holidays upon us it is a great, easy to make appetizer spread. Everything goes in the food processor. No baking. Little fuse. But, not everyone likes olives and tapenade. My tapenade with sun dried tomato might just win them over. The sun dried tomato gives it a little bit of sweetness and cuts down on some of the briny olive taste. The sun dried tomato makes it a little extra special and the small flicks of red give it a little holiday festive flare.


Ingredients
1 pound Kalamata or other good black olive - pitted
3 tablespoons Capers - drained
2 cloves Garlic - minced
8.5 ounces Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil and Herbs, Julienne Cut - oil reserved
good Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice – freshly squeezed
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 teaspoons fresh Thyme - chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley - chopped
Crackers or toasted sliced Baguette

Combine olives, capers, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse a few times till very roughly chopped. Add enough olive oil to the oil reserved from the sun dried tomatoes to make ½ cup. Roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes. Add the sun dried tomatoes, ½ cup oil, lemon juice, mustard, thyme and parsley and process until combined but still chunky. You still want to be able to see bits of the sun dried tomato.

Serve with crackers or toasted baguette. Makes a large potion enough for a good sized party.


I buy pitted olives and then cut each one in half. I find on average one pit per pound of olives. This recipe can easily be halved. Divide all the ingredients in half, just watch the amount of oil you add to get the consistence you want. To make a traditional tapenade: delete the sun dried tomatoes, use only olive oil, and add 10 anchovy fillets. Also, see the crostini blog post that goes excellently with this tapenade.

Grandma Ellen's Fudge

Grandma Ellen's Fudge, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

My grandma Ellen has a legendary sweet tooth. To this day she will start a meal with a slice of pie or other dessert so that she can be sure to "have enough room for it." I inherited her love of sweets, and her solemn understanding that the most important part of a meal...no, of life...is a sugary confection, cake, or pastry.

Although she was reknowned for her pie-making skills (Best. Crust. EVER!), she was no shlub with candy either. One of her specialties was a rich, dense fudge that she made by the acre during the holidays. Now in her late 80's, she has given up cooking, but luckily my family and I have had a lifetime of working alongside her to learn her tips and tricks. One of the best lessons I learned from her was to experiment, and over the years I've figured out a few tweaks to her base recipe that sit well with my particular palette and culinary point of view. I now regularly include instant coffee and ground cardamom, both of which spice up the chocolate and really enhance the flavor of the fudge.

I naturally think of Grandma every time I make this fudge, and I pass it along here so that you can enjoy it as well. Fair warning: this fudge is really, really rich (which, come on, is NOT a bad thing when you're talking about fudge). You'll want a tall glass of cold milk onhand, and possibly some give in your waistband because I guarantee you'll eat several pieces. And you will be happier for doing so!

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
1/2 lb unsalted butter
4 cups sugar
25 large marshmallows
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
12 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
12 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla
1 T instant coffee
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Pinch of salt

Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish and set aside.

Heat milk, butter, and sugar in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until dissolved (I use a 5qt enameled cast iron pot). Stir in marshmallows until dissolved, then bring to a slow boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and spices until well blended. Pour into the buttered baking dish and refrigerate 4-6 hours, until solid.

To cut, remove from fridge & bring to room temperature. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container, separating layers with waxed paper. Store, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks. You can either serve it cold (meaning: eat it straight out of the container every time you walk by the 'fridge) or let it come to room temperature for a smoother texture. Either way it's delicious!

Alimentos en Buenos Aires

Empanada con carne, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

Or "Buenos Aires Food" (sorta). I just returned from a few days in Buenos Aires, which is a magnificent, grand, and beautiful city; I was thoroughly enchanted by its architecture and people. And the food! Of course, the food. So no surprise, we ate A LOT of beef - one day we had steak for lunch AND dinner - and it was fantastic. The phrase "beef eater's paradise" was mentioned more than once (of course quickly countered by "...and a cow's hell" by the vegetarians in our midst). Some culinary highlights:

• Bife de chorizo - Sirloin steak. Fat on. Seared over an open flame. Perfection. Also of note, only once were we served a chimichurri (a fresh sauce made from parsley, garlic, and spices) alongside - I was under the impression that was a standard pairing, but not at the restaurants we dined in.
  
• Alfajor - An alfajor, or alfajores, is a popular candy found at street kiosks and was first described to me as a moon pie. It's actually an apt description - 2 cookies with dulche de leche between, covered in chocolate. I love all things caramel-y, so I'm definitely going to try making some of these.
  
• Empanadas - Sold as street food and starters in restaurants, empanadas are a filled pastry pocket...and are probably quite familiar to most Americans by now, given that they're available in QT of all places (hey, street food is street food). Popular combinations include Empanadas con carne (with beef, as photographed above, flavored with a hint of cinnamon) and Empandas con jambon y queso (with cured ham and cheese).
  

I'll see what I can work into some recipes over the next few weeks. The cinnamon-laced beef empanadas were especially memorable, so I'll probably tackle those first, unless, of course, the sweet alfajores beckon...

Cornbread Stuffing with Salsiccia & Apple Cider

Cornbread, salsiccia (or other Italian sausage), and apple cider put an unusual spin on a Thanksgiving tradition:

Ingredients
1 lb (2 loaves) corn bread, cubed
3 lb salsiccia or other Italian sausage, casings removed
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 bag celery, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
12 large sage leaves
½ stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 cup apple cider, divided
½ cup chicken broth

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 °. Spread cornbread cubes in single layer on large baking sheet. Toast in oven for 35-40 minutes until cornbread is crusty on edges, stirring twice during baking.

Remove salsiccia from casings and brown in large skillet. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage from pan to large mixing bowl lined with paper towels, reserving oil in pan. Remove paper towel and add toasted cornbread to bowl.

Add chopped onion, celery, and red pepper to skillet and cook until golden (probably have to work in 2 batches – add oil to pan, if needed, during 2nd batch). Add ½ cup apple cider to skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened. Pour contents of skillet onto cornbread. Melt butter in skillet and add sage, cooking until leaves are dark green, about 3 minutes. Add to bowl.

Mix contents of bowl well. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Butter large baking dish and spoon stuffing into it. Drizzle remaining ½ cup apple cider and ½ cup chicken broth over stuffing. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (can be made immediately, but flavors develop if you wait). Bake covered in 350° oven until heated through, 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until top starts to brown.

Roasted Fall Veggies (with radishes!)

Roasted Fall Veggies, originally uploaded by chrisfreeland2002.

I love roasted vegetables, and I especially love making them in autumn when there are all kinds of delicious root vegetables available. Making roasted veggies is like making chicken stock - you just throw in whatever you have on hand. Sure, there is the Holy Trinity of Carrots, Potatoes, and Onions, but other options abound like parsnips, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower...even radishes.

Now, if you've never had a roasted radish you are missing out on one of nature's most sublime roasted vegetables. I like raw radishes, but they do have a bit of a bite. A roasted radish is quite different. Like all roasted veggies it gets sweeter with roasting, but it also gets more...mellow...almost creamy. I've served roasted radishes to two different sets of (enthusiastically voracious) guests to rave reviews. Give 'em a try, either by themselves or with a mix, as below.

Ingredients
1 lb carrots, sliced
2 lbs small potatoes, quartered
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 head cauliflower, broken in florets
1/2 pie pumpkin, cut into squares with the rind off
1 bunch or bag radishes, tops & bottoms cut off
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 small bunch parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop all veggies into pieces about the same size (you want them the same size so they roast evenly). Spread into a single layer in a roasting pan or baking sheet (or two). Drizzle with oil. Season evenly with salt, pepper, curry powder, and rosemary. Mix by hand. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are browned but not burnt and tender inside, shaking the pan twice during roasting to make sure the veggies don't stick to the bottom.

Remove pan(s) from oven and place veggies on a large platter. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.