This past weekend was a holiday - New Year's Day - and I wanted to cook something for "good luck." This meal ought to bring plenty of prosperity in 2012 because it has all the necessary "lucky" ingredients. My wife, Jacki, stir fried some cabbage in a little water, balsamic vinegar, and Tiger Sauce to serve on the side. She also made her famous "Grandma Combs Buttermilk Cornbread" in the cast-iron skillet. Even though it's simple fare, we both agreed this was one of the best New Year's Day dinners we'd had in a long-time.
Dixie Ham Stew
16 oz. bag frozen black-eyed peas, 2 cups cubed ham, 15-oz. can white hominy (rinsed and drained), 10-oz. bag frozen cut okra, 1 large onion chopped, 4 cloves garlic minced (or more if you want), 2 tsp. Creole seasoning, crushed black pepper to taste, 4 cups chopped collard greens, 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes.
Put peas, ham, hominy, okra, onion, garlic, and Creole seasoning in crock pot and add 4 cups water and a half cup of dry white wine. Cook on high for 4 hours. Stir in collard greens and stewed tomatoes about 10 min. before serving. Serve in big bowls and top with a scoop of some good Arkansas extra-long grain rice. Frank's Redhot sauce on the side is a must.
Beer Pairing: Three Floyds Gumballhead Pale Ale Wheat or Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
