Happy New Year!!! I hope 2025 finds you happy, healthy and wealthy!
For many, New Year’s Day is full of traditional dishes meant to bring you health, happiness and luck in the New Year. And my house is no exception. My entire life, I have ushered in the New Year with the traditional southern plate of Black-Eyed Peas, Cornbread and Collard Greens. And today we’ll take a look at the tradition, and it’s astrological correlations.
First, we have Black-Eyed Peas. One legend says that back in the times of Civil War, when food was hard to come by, Southern families ate Black-Eyed Peas as a way to sustain themselves throughout the winter months. Over time, the beans came to represent luck and prosperity, and some said they were reminiscent of coins, that swelled while cooking. So they were adopted as a good omen for accumulating wealth in the coming year. Another legend says that the tradition of eating the peas on New Year’s Day, extends back to January 1, 1863 which wa the day the emancipation proclamation went into effect, and that former slaves celebrated with a pot of black-eyed peas, which became the tradition.
As a legume, Black-Eyed Peas are ruled by the planet Mercury, which is interesting because Mercury also rules coins and currency as a measure of exchange. Often cooked with tomatoes and hot pepper flakes, these Mars ruled ingredients give some oomph and action behind the intention of accumulating coins.
Collard Greens fall under the planet Saturn, which rules food with a bitter or astringent taste. Served with Black-eyed Peas to symbolize money, Collard Greens are a perfect side dish for Capricorn season (a Saturn ruled sign), and encourage you to find a disciplined way to build wealth one dollar at a time.
Cornbread, which is often sweetened by sugar, symbolizes gold. There isn’t much written about the planetary ruler of corn, though some authors give it to Venus, likely because of it’s sweet taste. I would argue that cornbread could also be a food of lucky Jupiter, as it’s bold yellow color resonates with that planets vibrant and expansive energy and adds an element of luck to the dinner table.
So there you have it, the astrology behind the traditional southern New Year’s dinner. And while I keep it traditional, I also inorporate modern techniques int my cooking. Which is why this year I decided to cook my Black-Eyed Peas in an Instant Pot. It’s really a no brainer. There’s no soaking required and the beans cook to perfect tenderness in just 10 minutes, meaning you won’t have to ring in the New year waiting on a Crock Pot full of beans to cook down. It’s perfection.
Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup white onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup Black Eyed peas rinsed
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 can tomatoes petite diced
Instructions
- Place olive oil in the bottom of the Instant Pot and set to sauté mode
- Add onions and garlic sauté until tender about 3 minutes.
- Pour over chicken broth.
- Add Black-eyed peas, ham hock, thyme, salt, black pepper and stir.
- Add in bay leaf.
- Dump in the can of tomatoes on top.
- Set Instant Pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes.
- After time is up, allow it to slow release for 15 minutes, then release the valve to let off steam.
- Open the pot, and remove the ham hock and bay leaf before serving.
- Note: With this method, the ham hock won’t break down but will flavor the beans.
