Eat well and prosper

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Watching this year's dire financial news, I had one thought (besides mourning my 401k):

Somebody didn't eat their collards.

OK, maybe they skipped the black-eyed peas. In fact, since the tough economy has spread around the world, it looks like a lot of people fell down on the New Year's job last year.

From Spain, where people eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight Dec. 31 to China, where people will celebrate the Year of the Ox starting Jan. 26, there are a lot of foods connected with riches and prosperity.

Here in the South, I wouldn't think of passing a Jan. 1 without at least a bite of collards and black-eyed peas. In my family, we also threw in a little crispy fried hog jowl.

I thought I knew where the peas and collards come from _ coins and dollars. The hog jowl was less clear. My father used to tell us that if we had enough money to eat it by choice instead of necessity, it meant we were doing pretty good.

I don't promise that any of these foods actually do any good. But the way things are going, do you really want to take a chance?

Take your pick from the foods below, based on whichever group fits your background best. A bite of pickled herring is a small price to pay for prosperity.

BEANS AND PEAS

Black-eyed peas in the South, lentils in Brazil, green lentils in Italy and Hungary. Some say it's because they resemble coins. But it's also very ancient. Since dried beans swell when they are cooked, they have always represented getting more.

GREEN LEAFY THINGS

Collards in the South, cabbage in Korea (kimchi), Bosnia, Croatia and Germany (sauerkraut). Southerners think green leaves represent dollars, but connections to leafy greens date to cultures that didn't have green dollar bills. It probably has more to do with ancient beliefs that green is lucky because of its connection to spring and new growth.

EGG ROLLS

Egg rolls and stacks of spring rolls represent gold bars in Asian cultures.

FISH

Herring, pickled and not pickled, in Germany, Scandinavia, Poland; cod in Denmark and Italy. Fish stand for prosperity in a lot of places, because of the need for a good catch or from the idea of hauling in riches. Asian cultures also serve fish with the head and tail on, to represent a complete life.

ORANGES

Anything that looks like gold represents riches in Asian cultures.

PORK

Stands for prosperity and abundance in many cultures, from Eastern to Western. There are several theories, but the most common is that because pigs root while moving forward, they represent moving forward and gaining riches. (Associated with bad luck: Cows, which stand still to eat, chickens, which scratch backward, and lobsters, which move backward.)

POMEGRANATES

The round seeds represent coins in Turkey; the vivid red color and the multitude of seeds are lucky, too.

RISOTTO

In the Piedmont region of Italy. Rice swells when you cook it, so it symbolizes getting more.

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HOPPIN' JOHN

From "The Glory of Southern Cooking," by James Villas (Wiley, 2007).

Ľ pound slab bacon, cut into Ľ-inch cubes

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 pounds black-eyed peas, fresh or frozen

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes to taste

Hot, cooked rice

3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

Fry the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the peas, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the peas are tender but not mushy, about 1 hour. (It may take less time for frozen peas, so taste them after 30 minutes.)

Drain the peas, then serve over hot rice topped with chopped tomato.

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COLLARDS WITH CABBAGE

Years ago, while writing about a restaurant that specializes in collards, I learned that if you combine collards and cabbage, even collard-haters will like it. The sweetness of cabbage balances the bite of collards. This is how I do it, adapting that and a recipe from "The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook" by Matt and Ted Lee (W.W. Norton, 2006).

1 large bunch collards

Half of a head of green cabbage

Ľ pound slab bacon or regular bacon, diced

˝ medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided

2 cups chicken broth, divided

Wash the collards well, cut away the ribs, roll up the leaves and slice into strips. Cut away and discard the cabbage core, then cut cabbage into slices. Keep the collards and cabbage separate.

Divide the bacon between 2 large pots over medium heat. Cook until fat has rendered but bacon isn't crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Turn heat down under 1 pot, add 1 cup chicken broth and about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage and about half the bacon, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 30 minutes, until tender.

Add onion and pepper flakes to the fat in the second pot and cook until the onion has softened. Add 1 cup chicken broth and about 6 cups water. Add collards to the pot with remaining bacon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour, until tender.

When the cabbage is tender, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon, draining the liquid. Place it on a cutting board and chop finely with a large knife. Set aside.

Remove collards from the second pot with a slotted spoon, saving the cooking liquid. Place them on a cutting board and mince them.

Mix the minced cabbage and collards and return them to the pot with enough of the cooking liquid to make a mixture that is juicy but not too soupy.

Reheat and serve hot, with hot sauce or peppered vinegar on the side.

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BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP WITH GREENS AND HAM

From "A Love Affair With Southern Cooking," by Jean Anderson (William Morrow, 2007).

1 cup fresh or frozen black-eyed peas

8 ounces mustard greens, torn in bite-size pieces (8 cups packed)

8 ounces collards, torn in bite-size pieces (8 cups packed)

2 tablespoons bacon drippings or olive oil

˝ cup finely diced ham (preferably country ham)

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 medium stalks celery, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth

1 large whole bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

˝ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Place the black-eyed peas in a large, heavy saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat and let stand 2 hours. (If using frozen black-eyed peas, skip this step.)

Drain the peas and return to the pan. Again cover with cold water by 3 inches, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered about 30 minutes. (Frozen peas will take less time.) Drain well and set aside.

Half fill a saucepot with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add mustard greens and collards and boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Drain the greens and plunge into ice water to set the color.

Heat the bacon drippings or oil over medium-high heat in the same large pot. Add the ham and brown 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and saute 8 to 10 minutes, or until limp.

Add the broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper and the reserved black-eyed peas and greens and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf, taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed before serving.

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© 2008, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).