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A New Year’s Day meal of fortuitous foods — a simple and simply Western way to celebrate 2011.
EnlargeIt’s that time again. Time to make those resolutions, clean out the closets, and prepare for the new year, which with any luck will be better than last year. A toast and a kiss at the stroke of midnight are time-honored attempts to usher in a good day 1 to set the tone for the 364 to come. But why not increase your odds of success by eating food that’s aimed at bringing good fortune?
Traditionally on New Year’s Day, people all over the world eat special good-luck foods in hopes of increasing their chances for a more prosperous year. In Austria, they chow down on roast suckling pig, and they also like to put miniature pigs made of marzipan on the table. In Spain, 12 grapes — one for each stroke of the clock and the next 12 months (an especially sour grape would warn of a bad month, of course) — are eaten at midnight. Centuries ago, Romans began a tradition still observed in Italy today of eating bowls of coin-shaped lentils to ensure a financially healthy new year. And in France, la galette du roi (king’s cake), a ring-shaped cake with a tiny baby hidden inside, is the most fortuitous thing you can have for dessert.
In Denton, Texas, where I grew up, our culinary lucky charm was simple: Mom always made Hoppin’ John, the Southern classic of black-eyed peas with rice, with either corn pone or jalape"o corn bread on the side. To this day, wherever I am on New Year’s Day, I’ll call my mom to wish her happy new year and the first thing she’ll ask is “Have you had your peas yet?”
So for a New Year’s Day brunch menu, how could I not start with those peas? But I moved Mom’s Hoppin’ John from the South to the Southwest and created a black-eyed pea pico de gallo. With its bit of cowboy kick, it can be served on its own, as a side, over a heap of arugula for a cold salad, covered with melted cheese on top of tortilla chips for New Year’s nachos, wrapped in a warm tortilla, or ladled on top of a bowl of collard greens (also considered lucky because the green symbolizes cash). If you’re like me, you’ll eat these black-eyed babies by the bowlful, either with a soupspoon or scooped up with chips.
GOOD LUCK BRUNCH
In my book, brunch isn’t brunch without hash browns, and my sweet potato-white potato hash browns are just the ticket. In the same way I judge a Mexican restaurant by its salsa and margaritas and a burger joint by its burgers and fries, I judge a breakfast or brunch by the quality of the hash browns. These have that perfect balance of crunchy outsides and soft insides — and they’re even yummier because they’re orange.
Because New Year’s Day shouldn’t be stressful — an unlucky thing, I’d imagine — I thought a main dish of a Southwestern-inspired tart of tomato, goat cheese, and green chiles would not only be easy but on the light side, too — and who’s not looking to get back on the weight wagon after all the holiday bingeing. This one’s got a crust with a bit of cornmeal, so there’s a nice extra bit of crunch and texture down to the last bite. As for the good-luck aspect: I don’t know if green chile is considered lucky, but anytime I have it on hand, I consider myself quite flush.
To complement the main-dish tart, a perfect dessert is an easy Nutella-pear-raspberry tart with a crust that you can make the day before. Nutella, if you’re not familiar with it, is an Italian hazelnut spread with skim milk and cocoa that turns anything you slather it on into a celebration in your mouth. Since it was a Roman king who added January (and February) to the calendar around 713 B.C., it’s nice to have a little New Year’s nod to those ancients, who were always up for a good party.
Now, one more little thing. In the West, as most of y’all know, horseshoes are considered lucky (don’t we all have one hanging above a door somewhere?). So I figured that if the black-eyed pea pico wasn’t enough luck, then a take-home gift of horseshoe graham cracker cookies would seal the deal.
So toast to a happy new year (bloody Marys and Bellinis, anyone?). Here’s to a beautiful brunch and a very lucky 2011.
EnlargeThis reminds me of a black-eyed pea relish that my mom and I used to eat at The Mermaid Bar at Neiman Marcus at NorthPark Center in Dallas, where we’d refuel after a hard morning of shopping.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained and without ham pieces
6 – 8 green onions, thinly sliced, white parts only
2 jalapeños, chopped
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3–1/2 cup sherry vinegar (start with less and add more to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Sea salt
Pepper
WHAT YOU DO
Put everything in a bowl, give it a gentle stir, taste for seasonings, and put in the fridge for an hour, at least. Taste again, and serve.
EnlargeTomato, Green Chile, and Goat Cheese Tart
Anything with green chile reminds me of New Mexico, which over the years has become my home away from home and a favorite place to celebrate New Year’s and any other holiday.
INGREDIENTS
2 – 3 large tomatoes (enough to fill the bottom of a tart pan)
3 large eggs
¾ cup cream
1 cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chiles
5 ounces goat cheese
Olive oil tart crust with honey (recipe follows)
WHAT YOU DO
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the tomatoes in thick 1/2-inch slices. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, sea salt, and pepper.
Spread the tomatoes all over the bottom of the tart crust; then add the green chiles, and put bits of the goat cheese all around. Carefully pour the egg mixture on top of all of this, and slide the tart into the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the center is firm and the edges begin to brown.
Olive Oil Tart Crust with Honey
I especially love this nutty, grainy tart crust with savory tarts and quiches.
INGREDIENTS
Approximately 2 cups whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or a half-and-half mix of the two
Approximately 2 ounces or 1/4 cup cornmeal (you may also use polenta)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup ice water
WHAT YOU DO
Grease the tart pan with a tiny bit of olive oil if it doesn't have a nonstick coating.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and sea salt. Add the oil and honey and mix a bit — by hand — and then add the water and mix just until the dough comes together in a ball. Now, on a floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle large enough to fit the tart pan. Trim the edges and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fill the tart and bake (or blind bake, depending on what you're using it for) at 400 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes.
EnlargeSweet Potato-White Potato Hash Browns
(Makes about 12 4-inch patties)
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Idaho potatoes
1 pound sweet potatoes
6 green onions, chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
Peel the potatoes. Fill two medium pots with cold water, and put the peeled white potatoes in one and the sweet potatoes in the other. Turn the heat on high, cover, and let come to a boil. Once the potatoes boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and set the timer for 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes into a colander and let dry.
In a large bowl, grate all of the potatoes. Add the chopped green onions, sea salt, and pepper, and gently toss. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet and turn the heat on medium. Spoon as many 4-inch circles of the hash browns as you can fit into the skillet and gently press down. They shouldn't be touching each other, but it's okay if they're pretty close.
Cook until brown and crispy, about 15 – 20 minutes; then flip to the other side and cook for 10 minutes more, or until the second side is also brown. Serve immediately.
EnlargeNutella-Pear-Raspberry Tart
With a crust that's like a sugar cookie and a Nutella filling, this might seem like a decadent dessert, but I think the pears and raspberries make it rather healthy.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Nutella
3 – 4 ripe pears
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
10 – 12 raspberries
1 prebaked buttery tart crust (recipe follows)
½ cup cocoa nibs
WHAT YOU DO
Cut the pears into nice bite-size chunks (not too small — about 1 1/2 inches or so), place in a medium bowl, and add the lemon juice.
Smear the Nutella all over the bottom of the cooled, baked tart crust. Scatter the pears all over (you may add as many as you'd like), add the raspberries, and finish with the cocoa nibs.
Buttery Tart Crust
Adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz.
(Makes crust for 1 9-inch tart)
A great all-around crust that’s perfect for fruit or custard-filled tarts that don’t require baking.
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
WHAT YOU DO
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until smooth. This will only take about a minute. Scrape down the sides. Now, turn the mixer on low and add the egg yolk. After about 30 seconds, add the flour and sea salt; keep mixing until the dough comes together in one big mass.
Put the dough in a tart pan with a removable bottom and using your hands, smash it down and up the sides. Try to make the dough as even as possible. Pop it in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Pull the frozen tart pan out of the freezer and, with a fork, prick the bottom a few times. Slide it into the oven and set the timer for 7 minutes. Take the crust out, and if it's puffy, just gently press it back into place. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until it's golden brown.
Note: Tart dough can be frozen for a month, either in a disk or in a tart pan, but once you bake it, you need to use the tart crust that day.
EnlargeHorseshoe Graham Cracker Cookies
Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and the “101 Cookbooks” and “Smitten Kitchen” blogs.
(Makes about 3 dozen)
So cute — and yummy — you won’t believe that they’re graham crackers. One taste and you’ll never go back to the blue box again.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup wheat flour
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon sea salt
7 tablespoons butter, cut in 1/2-inch cubes and frozen
1⅓ cup honey
5 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
WHAT YOU DO
In a food processor or a bowl with a pastry blender, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and sea salt. Add the butter and pulse or mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal (it doesn't have to be uniform).
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla. Add this to the flour mixture until the dough comes together.
Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and put the dough on top, shaping it into a large rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Pop the dough in the fridge for 2 hours, at least, or the freezer for 1 hour.
Roll out the cookies. Divide the dough in half, and put half in the fridge so it stays cool. Roll the dough out in a large, thin rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick, and using a knife, cut out horseshoes with a cookie cutter (or if you’d like to just make regular graham crackers, cut them into 4-inch squares or use a large cookie cutter). Place the horseshoe cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and slide into the fridge for a half hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes. Make sure they're nice and firm before you bake them.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pull out one cookie sheet of cookies from the fridge (only bake one at a time), and using a fork, make dotted lines, being careful not to poke holes all the way through the dough, so they look more horseshoe-like. Dust with cinnamon and sugar mixture and bake for 30 – 40 minutes (or if you are using a convection setting, bake for only 7 – 8 minutes), rotating halfway through so they bake evenly.
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Issue: January 2011
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