Gina’s Hoppin’ John Soup

Name: Gina’s Hoppin’ John Soup
Yield: serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 1 small bunch (about 1 pound) collard greens; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 6 ounces smoked ham steak, cut into 1/4-inch cubes; 1 medium onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 medium carrot, chopped; 1 stalk celery, chopped; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 1 dried bay leaf; One 15 1/2-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed; One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices; 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice; Dash of hot sauce, preferably Tabasco; Dash of Worcestershire sauce; Parmesan cheese, grated, for topping

December 14, 2011

GINA Ever since I was a little girl, my mom has been telling me that if you don’t eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day you’ll have a bad year ahead of you. Now, when I was younger I didn’t care a bit. I was going through that awkward stage anyway—how much worse could it be? But as I got older, I learned to love that black-eyed pea tradition, convinced that my year was going to be fantastic! And you know what’s funny? I tell my girls the same thing. Who says traditions and superstitions aren’t effective? Not to mention that black-eyed peas are rich in calcium and vitamin A. What could be bad about that? Of course, this being a Gina recipe, I added in my favorite collard greens. . . . Mmm, even better.

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