By now we are all well into our 2011 routine. Maybe some of us are still sticking to our resolutions. But probably many of us have too suddenly lost track. No matter the status of your resolution, the old traditions indicate that your year ahead can be determined by the meals eaten on New Years Day. It is the start of a new year, a time to begin fresh, to anticipate health and riches for the year to come. These customs have been around since the early ages, grounded in the premise that good luck is certainly to come.
In Spain, 12 grapes are eaten at the stroke of midnight, 1 for each month of the year. If you by some chance get a sour grape, and it’s the fourth one you’ve eaten, then I’m sorry, but it looks like April is going to be a sour month. The same could be said for the first 7 days of the year. If January 5th was a stormy day, it pretty much guarantees that May will be rainy! Okay, so it’s not that scientific. But if you can eat a great meal and at the same time gulp down some hope for a prosperous year, why not?!
After asking my office colleagues if they had any traditions, many surprised me with the Hoppin’ John. Black eyed peas, rice and collard greens are the main ingredients in this southern favorite. The peas are said to represent coins, thereby spreading good financial karma for the year to come.
Pigs are also known as a symbol of affluence and prosperity. Everyone had a piggy bank, after all! In some cultures, only the successful farmers could afford to feed their pigs. Owning a pig and eating a pig both were reserved for the wealthy. Additionally, it’s noted that pigs push or bury their nose in their food with forward movement. This is synonymous with forward movement in the new year. By way of this explanation, it should be warned that you should steer clear of lobster on New Years Day…they walk backwards!
And so I’ll end with my own tradition: Lentils and Cotechino, the traditional dish Italians indulge in for New Years Day. Combining beans and pork, it is the perfect combination for a prosperous new year.
Ingredients:
2 pounds uncooked cotechino sausage, soaked in cold water overnight.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Small finely chopped onion
1 medium finely chopped carrot
1 large finely chopped celery stick
1 small garlic clove peeled
1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper
Prepation:
Drain cotechino, place in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low boil and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
When cotechino is about an hour from being cooked, while it is simmering, sautee onion and carrot in olive oil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add celery and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add lentils and bay leaf, add water to cover the lentils by 1 inch. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and adding liquid from cotechino, as necessary, to keep lentils covered, until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain any liquid from pot; remove and discard garlic and bay leaf; season to taste with salt and pepper.