Traditional Southern Black Eyed Peas 
In the South, we wouldn’t dream of starting a new year without a generous helpin’ of traditional Black Eyed Peas. We serve ‘em here at the cafe (not just on New Years, by the way) but wanted you to be able to cook up your own batch at home for your friends and family.
Black Eyed Peas
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh or dried black-eyed peas
1 quart water
1/2 pund ham hock
Dash of garlic salt
Black pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste
Combine the black-eyed peas with the water in a saucepan. Add the ham hock, garlic salt, black pepper and red pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-high. Cook for 1 hour or until the peas are tender. Add water if needed.
“Some people (my mother for one) consider black-eyed peas only half the tradition, claiming you must serve pork… And we have never, never, never missed our black-eyed peas and hog jowl on New Year’s Day. You think we want bad luck?”
—– Michael A. Grissom, Southern by the Grace of God