Southern Black Eyed Peas Recipe with Collard Greens (2024)

FAQs

Why do Southerners eat black-eyed peas and collard greens? ›

Often referred to as hoppin' john, black-eyed peas and collard greens are commonly eaten as part of a Southern tradition to bring forth good luck and prosperity in the new year. As a kid, I wasn't really a fan, especially not with their little eyes staring back at me.

Some people may like to drain off the liquid due to its sodium content, but that juice has a lot of the flavor from the greens in it. Just as you might reserve the water that you cooked greens in, it can be a good idea to keep about half of the liquid from the can to add to your pot.

Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens

Many people save this dish to ring in the new year, and, if that's the case, a wine pairing will come in handy. Murray recommends “Prosecco, Rioja Joven or Albariño. These wines will pair with the salty, smoky, rich, earthy flavors of this dish.”

Long cooking time.

Slowly cooking collard greens not only softens the tough leaves, it also tames the leaves' bitter flavor.

Black-eyed peas and collard greens are often a go-to dish during New Year's celebrations because they're said to bring luck and prosperity.

According to legendary Southern food researcher John Egerton's Southern Food: At Home, On the Road, In History, black-eyed peas are associated with a "mystical and mythical power to bring good luck"1 and have been a Southern staple for more than three centuries.

Season with garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper. Cook until heated throughout and season additionally to taste. Serve warm and enjoy!

A little bit of table or seasoned salt, some pepper, a pinch of sugar, a drop of vinegar, and something spicy like cayenne or red pepper flakes will help level up the flavor of your canned greens.

What's the difference between Hoppin' John and black-eyed peas? Hoppin' John has black-eyed peas in it, but it also has other ingredients. In this recipe, the black-eyed peas are stewed with onion, garlic, celery, and a ham hock, similar to how some Southern-style black-eyed peas would be cooked.

- Tender and flavorful braised pork, like pork chops or pulled pork, goes wonderfully with black-eyed peas.

What is a companion for black-eyed peas? ›

The short leaves and rapid growth of radishes make them excellent companion plants for black-eyed peas and other vining crops. Interplanting with radishes will help you maximize your garden space, and they won't compete with your bean plants for light.

Baking soda has infinite uses in cooking and beyond: It's a leavening agent, an odor neutralizer, and an antacid to name a few. In the case of collard greens, baking soda's utility is threefold, serving as a flavor enhancer, a tenderizer, and a color protector.

In warm climates, collards do best when planted in the fall, as this allows them to mature during cooler weather. (They will bolt in the heat of summer!) Plus, collard greens taste even better when “kissed” by frost and will grow through snow.

If you're wondering how long you should cook slow cooker collard greens, there really is no set limit. Using a Crock-Pot is a great way to allow greens to cook “low and slow,” so you really could simmer them overnight on low if you wanted to without making them mushy.

During the harsh winter, the Confederate soldiers survived on the remaining black-eyed peas, promoting this humble and nourishing legume into a symbol of fortune and prosperity in the American South.

Since black-eyed peas helped save surviving Confederates from starvation they were regarded as a symbol of good luck and financial prosperity. They are symbolic of money with their small, seed like appearance which resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind.

Collard greens were just one of a few select vegetables that enslaved African-Americans were allowed to grow and harvest for themselves and their families. This leafy vegetable is now considered a soul-food staple.

Serving your black-eyed peas with greens (collards, mustard, or turnip), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money.