By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier

ofowler@thepccourier.com

All over the world, people believe that serving certain dishes on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day will bring a prosperous New Year.

Greens of almost any kind are chosen to represent folding money, pork is considered a prosperous meat and peas and beans represent coins in many cultures.

In the South, especially the Carolinas, collard greens, black-eyed peas and rice are universally thought to be most important for New Year’s dishes.

This tradition can be traced to several other regions, primarily Africa, France and the Caribbean.

The pork roast and saurkraut tradition is favored in states with strong German and Dutch heritages, and the orange brandy cake is a Greek Island tradition.

They’re all good. And I hope prosperity will come to you immediately after eating at least one of these dishes.

Sautéed Swiss Chard and Parmesan

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional)

Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine.

Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about five minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

One-pot Hoppin’ John

• 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
• Cold water
• 1 pound lean slab bacon or 1 pound meaty ham hocks
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cups water or chicken broth
• 2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
• Salt and black pepper

Before preparing dried beans, sort through them thoroughly for tiny pebbles or other debris. Soak, rinse, and drain dried black-eyed peas. Place black-eyed peas in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and cover with cold water; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 to 2 hours. Drain and rinse beans.

Using the same large soup pot, over medium-high heat, add soaked black-eyed peas, bacon or ham hock, onion, and red pepper. Add water or chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the peas are tender (do not boil as the beans will burst).

Remove bacon or ham hock and cut into bite-size pieces. Return meat to pot. Stir in rice, cover, and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pork Roast with Sauerkraut and Kielbasa

• 1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin roast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 pounds sauerkraut
• 1 pound kielbasa, cut into 3-inch pieces

Preheat the oven broiler. Place the roast in a roasting pan, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme leaves, and season with salt and pepper.

Place under the broiler for 10 minutes, until lightly browned in several places.

Place two pounds sauerkraut in a slow cooker. Arrange kielbasa pieces around the edges of the slow cooker pot, and place the roast in the center. Cover with remaining sauerkraut.

Cover slow cooker, and cook roast six hours on high.

New Year Orange Brandy Cake

• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• Whole blanched almonds

This rich cake is traditionally served in the Greek islands on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. The year is written on top of the cake in almonds and a lucky coin is baked in the batter. The person who finds the coin in their slice is given money, a lucky beginning for the New Year…

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light yellow and creamy, about three minutes. Add the butter and beat for one minute more. Beat in the orange juice and brandy.

Whisk together the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and the zests in another large bowl. Add to the yolk mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until incorporated.

In a large clean bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the pan and shake gently to even the top. Make the numbers for the New Year from almonds place on top of the batter.

Bake the cake for about one hour, or until it is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack before removing from the pan and serving.