Have you finished cleaning up the wrapping paper yet?
The chaos of holiday season winds down next week, with most kids going back to school (hallelujah). I’m sure you’re as exhausted as I am, so I’m keeping it pretty simple, with just two nights of real-deal cooking and some fun stuff to ring in 2020.
Here’s the menu:
SUNDAY: Some advance cooking today is going to make the rest of the week a breeze. You’ll quick-soak black eyed peas and cook them, following step one of Southern Living’s Hoppin John recipe. Unfamiliar with Hoppin John? It’s a traditional New Year’s Day meal in the South with a complicated history, believed to bring good luck. (Vegetarians: You’ll sub smoked paprika for the pork.) If you’ve got time on your hands you can also pre-make the New Year’s Eve cocktail meatballs.
MONDAY: Sheet-Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Squash, Fennel, and Grapes from Epicurious plus a baguette, adding some extra thighs so you’ll have leftovers to use Thursday. Vegetarians: You’ll roast vegan sausages instead. Gotta love a one-pan, sheet-pan meal.
TUESDAY: Family-Friendly Hors d’Oeuvre. In my family, New Year’s Eve dinner is more like a very tame cocktail party. We have sparkling grape juice, pigs in blankets and mini-knishes, cocktail meatballs (AllRecipes’ version is darn close to my mom’s, which might be your mom’s, too), and vegetable summer rolls with a sweet-and-spicy dipping sauce, a recipe I created for Weight Watchers. No shame in store-bought piggies and knishes, but if you’re ambitious here are my recipes—I won’t include these in the shopping list, so if you’re making them be sure to pick up the ingredients.
WEDNESDAY: Hoppin John with Braised Greens from Food Network and Cornbread. I’m not the least bit Southern (shtetls represent) but I definitely appreciate the food. Since you’ve already made the Hoppin John, you’re just cooking rice and braising greens tonight. Serve with store-bought cornbread or, if you’re game, bake a box of Jiffy mix.
THURSDAY: Quick Chicken Tortilla Soup from The Kitchn uses Monday’s chicken and has kid-friendly instructions. Serve with allll the toppings. Vegetarians: swap a can of hominy for the chicken, and use vegetable broth.
FRIDAY: Hoppin John Fritters with remoulade and a green salad. There’s no recipe for the fritters, since we’re adapting a technique I use with leftover rice and beans. You’ll pulse half the leftovers in the food processor, then mix it with the rest of the Hoppin John, an egg, and a bit of breadcrumbs, then pan fry.
Here’s the shopping list:
Remember, an asterisk* indicates an ingredient for vegetarians only.
Produce
1 bunch celery (W)
2 medium onions + 1 small onion (T, W, Th)
1 medium sweet onion (W)
1 medium red or yellow bell pepper (T)
1 small green bell pepper (W)
1 head garlic (W, Th)
1 bunch mint (M, T)
1 bunch basil (T)
1 bunch cilantro (T, Th)
1 bunch fresh thyme (W)
1 bunch scallions (T, W, F)
1 acorn or delicata squash (about 1.5 lb.) (M)
1 fennel bulb (M)
Boston lettuce (T)
1 large English cucumber (T, F)
1 bunch carrots (T, F)
1.5 lb. collard greens (W)
1 avocado (Th)
.5 lb. seedless red grapes (M)
1 lemon (T)
2 limes (T, Th)
Pantry
Ground cumin (M)
Cayenne pepper (M, W)
Kosher salt (M, W, Th)
Black pepper (W, Th)
Smoked paprika (W)
Chili powder (Th)
3 quarts + 2 cups low-sodium chicken OR vegetable broth (W, Th)
1 lb. dried black eyed peas OR 6 cups frozen (W, Th)
Olive oil (M, W, Th, F)
Carolina Gold rice (or other long-grain white rice) (W)
Breadcrumbs (T, F)
1 (8 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce (T)
1 bottle chili sauce (T)
Brown sugar (M, T)
Sugar (T, F)
Sparkling grape juice (T)
Fish sauce (T)
Sambal oelek (T)
Rice vermicelli (T)
Rice paper wrappers (T)
Jiffy cornbread mix (OR baked cornbread) (W)’
1 (28 oz.) can OR 2 (14.5 oz.) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes (Th)
1 (15 oz.) can hominy* (Th)
1 bag tortilla chips (Th)
Mayonnaise (F)
Dill pickle relish (F)
Coarse-grained mustard (F)
Ketchup (F)
Vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Crystal or Tabasco) (F)
Meat Counter
Thick-cut bacon (W)
1 lb. lean ground beef (T)
12 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 lb.) (M)
Dairy
Eggs (T, F)
1 package vegetarian sausages (your choice)* (M)
6 oz. Asian-flavor baked tofu (T)
Sharp cheddar cheese (Th)
Bakery
1 baguette (M)
Cornbread (OR Jiffy cornbread mix) (W)
Freezer Case
Pigs in blankets (T)
Mini-knishes or other hors d’oeuvre (T)
Black eyed peas (or use dried) (W)
Check back on Saturday for the details. And if you’ve got any questions, just reply to this email.
Debbie