By David
Thompson
It
is unfortunate that so many of us let the first day of the new
year fritter away the way we do. In so many other cultures the
beginning of the year is an opportunity to reflect upon and
symbolically cleanse the mistakes of the previous year, and
establish a positive and auspicious start for the year to come.
Sapped by the modern Thanksgiving-to-Christmas marathon of social
functions, family gatherings, shopping for, wrapping and delivering
gifts, and the general commercial hype, a vague sensory indigestion
sets in.
The New Year’s Eve parties and other celebrations of the
final night of the year come along just as folks are beginning
to catch their breath. Their bodies and spirits pounded by repeated
rounds of both voluntary and enforced frivolity, they are sentenced
by their sheer exhaustion to watching interminable pointless
and interchangeable college football games and other made-for-television
spectacles at home. There must be a more inspiring way to celebrate
this day.
As more people pass up the booze-driven festivities that have
been the custom of the recent past, they find themselves rising
on New Year’s Day with a clear head and a steady hand.
Other than vague resolutions and good intentions, there is not
much else on the agenda for the day. Looking to the past for
guidance in celebrating the holiday, our New England forefathers
are not very forthcoming, unless you are up for a day of fasting
and prayer.
However, down in the other colony, New Amsterdam, a lively New
Year’s tradition based on the Dutch propensity for cozy
domesticity and casual hospitality was already well established.
On this day, everyone’s door was open for visitors, and
people of all walks of life would open their homes for a time
with food and drink offered, and then make the rounds of other
homes themselves. This was an opportunity to renew social, business,
and political contacts for the coming year in an atmosphere
free of rigid protocol or obligation. The revelers would visit
dozens of homes over the course of the day and evening for a
chat and a sample of the goodies being offered, leaving calling
cards behind at the residences of those they happened to miss
because they were also out making calls.
To this day, elements of this tradition continue in lower Manhattan.
An old Dutch open house included “olykoeks” which
we now know as doughnuts; the ring shape symbolized the continuity
of the passing of the old and the start of the new. George Washington
carried this tradition to Philadelphia when the seat of government
moved there from New York prior to the construction of the new
Capitol on the Potomac. A menu for a “collation” (or
light buffet) for New Year’s Day from the early 1800s out
of “The American Heritage Cookbook” includes baked
ham, boned turkey, oysters, lobster salad, watercress sandwiches,
small cakes, cookies and fruit, along with eggnog, champagne,
coffee, hot chocolate, and tea.
In the southern states, there are a number of culinary traditions
associated with the New Year. The one most familiar to northerners
concerns black-eyed peas. A custom that likely has its roots
in African traditions, it is considered to bring good luck,
money, and health if the first meal of the year includes black-eyed
peas. Some versions of the superstition specify black-eyed peas
and rice, a combination often called “hoppin’ John.”
In Louisiana, the same tradition calls for red beans and rice.
Both hoppin’ John and red beans and rice are also traditionally
made with pork. The pig, with its uncanny ability to prosper
with the most meager of means, is a symbol of luck and wealth
in many societies around the world. Another New Year’s
food custom with a less ancient history, current among French
speaking Louisianans, calls for cabbage as a symbol for folding
money.
So in the spirit of casual, drop-in-for-a bite-and-a-drink,
back-of-the-stove, and help-yourself cookery, with a bit of
New Year’s symbolism thrown in for luck, the following
is offered.
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Black-eyed
Pea Salad
Almost like a salsa, this spicy cold side dish is a good accompaniment
to chicken and pork dishes as well as a novel dip for tortilla
chips.
2 16-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch scallions, diced
2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely diced
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1\4 cup lime juice
1\4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate for a few hours to marinate.
Makes eight portions.
Braised Pork Ribs With Cabbage
These just melt in your mouth, and the vegetables and pot liquor
are delicious mopped up with plain rice or cornbread.
1 approx. 2 1\2-lb. rack of pork spare ribs
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1\2 tsp. allspice
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups yellow onions, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 cups chopped cabbage
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 1\2 cups orange juice
water to cover
Slice the ribs into one-rib pieces. Place the sugar, salt, ginger,
cinnamon, fennel seeds, and allspice in a large bowl and mix
together. Place rib pieces in the bowl and toss until well coated
with spice mixture. In a heavy four-quart pan melt butter over
high heat. Place ribs in pan and brown well, turning frequently.
When browned, add onions, carrots, celery and cabbage and cook
until cabbage and onions begin to wilt. Arrange the ribs on
their sides nestled in the vegetables to make a level layer
in the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and orange juice.
Add enough water to just cover the ribs, and bring to a low
simmer. Cover the pan and simmer very low for two hours, adding
water if needed to keep the ribs barely covered. When done,
meat should almost fall off the bone. Can continue to cook on
low heat for hours. Serve over rice or cornbread. Makes four
portions.
