Traditionally, on New Year’s Day, for good luck the coming year, eat black-eyed peas! Greens and rice too, for wealth and health. These black-eyed peas and collard greens, made into cornmeal-dusted pan-fried fritters, hoppin’ John fritters, are just what we want to insure an awesome year!
Collard greens and black-eyed peas are the classic pairing for hoppin’ John. The green collards bring a promise of prosperity in the New Year, as the leafy green is meant to represent money, prosperity. May these black-eyed peas and collard greens bring you luck, wealth, and health all year long!
These black-eyed pea fritters include both black-eyed peas and rice. You pan-fry them in a bit of oil, nestle them in a bed of steamed collard ribbons, and top with a chunky “soysage” tomato sauce.
Why are black-eye peas and collards called hoppin’ John? I wonder where that came from. Does the hoppin’ have something to do with the bean’s magical musical potential?
In the South where hoppin’ John originates, pork usually flavors black-eyed peas. Eating pork on January first is said to bring health. This blog is vegetarian, and as a meatless eater, and I’ve traded the pork for vegan “sausage.”
The same meatless “sausage” that fooled my father-in-law, who grew up on a farm. On one of his visits, I served him eggs and “soysage.” He snuck a bite right from the skillet and commented that it was good sausage. I never told him the truth.
Every once in a while, you gotta fake them out. I don’t cook with processed soy vegetarian meat substitutes often and faux “meat” is off-putting to some, but I know that soy “sausage” in place of real pig better supports our health and that of our planet!
However you serve them, black-eyed peas and collard greens are the perfect dish for New Year’s Day!
May good luck, excellent health, and ample wealth flow to you easily.
More black-eyed pea recipes:
- Add black-eyed peas to vegetarian dirty rice with collards to make hoppin’ John.
- My recipe for Black-eyed Peas and Collards includes demo photos for cutting the collard ribbons.
- You might want to try this Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad with Lime Vinaigrette.
- Vegan Hoppin’ John at Food52
- Hoppin’ John with Collard Greens at Vegetarian Times
*Recipe adapted from black bean cake recipe in The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. (Affiliate)
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Black-eyed Peas and Collard Greens
Ingredients
The fritters:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch dried sage leaves
- 1 3/4 cup cooked black-eyed peas, one (15-ounce) can
- 1 cup cooked brown rice (see note)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke , optional (see note)
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Cornmeal , for dusting
- avocado or grapeseed oil
The sauce:
- 1 tablespoon avocado or grapeseed oil
- 7 ounces vegan “soysage” , cut in small chunks (see note)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14-ounce) can
- ¼ teaspoon honey or agave syrup
- ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- fine salt , to taste
The collards:
- 1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and discarded (about 12 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Red pepper flakes , as needed
Instructions
The fritters:
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium flame. Add the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika, oregano, thyme and sage; cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
- Drain the beans. Rinse them if you are using canned beans. Add the beans and cooked rice to the onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the salt, parsley, liquid smoke, if using, and the vinegar. With a potato masher or fork, mash everything together well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- If the mixture is warm, chill until it’s cool, about 30 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop or a ¼-cup measure, divide the mixture into eight portions. Form into patties, about ½ inch thick x 2 1/4 inches wide. Lightly dust both sides of the patties with cornmeal. Cover and chill until cold. The fritters can be prepared up to this point and kept in the refrigerator for 2 days.
The sauce:
- Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the “soysage” and cook about 10 minutes, until the “meat” takes on a golden color. Using a wooden spoon, break up the pieces as they cook, scraping up the bits that stick to the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with the tomatoes. Add the honey, vinegar, oregano and thyme. Taste. Add more salt and herbs if you think the sauce needs a little more. Keep warm.
Cook the fritters and collards:
- Drizzle some oil in a large non-stick skillet. Lightly dust both sides of the fritters with corn meal. Fry them over medium heat until they form a golden crust, 10 to 12 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and keep warm in a 200°F oven. (My fritters all fit in my 12-inch skillet. If your skillet is small, repeat until all of the fritters are cooked.)
- Stack the collard leaves on top of each other, with the leaf tips all at the same end. Roll the stack tightly in a long tube and cut into thin ribbons. Starting at the thick end, slice the collards as thinly as possible to make spaghetti like strands. See photos--here.
- In a large skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the collards, minced garlic, and the salt. Pour in ½ cup of water. Cover the skillet. Cook over medium-heat about 15 minutes, until the collards are just tender. Stir in the vinegar and red pepper flakes. Transfer to a colander and drain well. Add more salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Spread the collards on a warm plate. Arrange the fritters over the collards. Top with the “soysage” and tomatoes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I used half of a package of Gimme Lean ground sausage style by Lightlife. There are other vegetarian sausage-style products out there in the marketplace—you choose. If your diet includes meat, use real ground sausage.
- Very soft rice mashes best with the black-eyed peas and forms fritters that hold together. Cook the rice with extra water (1 cup: 2 ½ cups), I cooked basmati brown rice in a pressure cooker—the soft rice guarantee.
- Liquid smoke adds smoke flavor. It’s made with vinegar, molasses and something called “smoke flavor.” Many liquid smokes contain preservatives and corn syrup—check the label.
- Red wine vinegar flavors the fritters, the sauce and the collards. All three, especially the greens, benefit from the acid addition.
