Editor’s note: We desperately wanted to get this up before New Year’s but an east coast blizzard, two airlines and four airports conspired against it. We think it’s still worth your time, even if you have to wait until January 2nd.

New Year’s is as good a time as any to add a little luck, whether you think you’ve got use for it or not. Where I’m from that usually comes, at least in part, in the form of a dinner of Hoppin’ John and often a side of collard greens for good fortune. I suspect that they make a great pair because of their similar and shared histories, both dishes brought to the United States by African slaves and now considered staples of Southern cooking.

The exact etymology of Hoppin’ John is lost to history and the variations appear to be endless, but the basics are these: black-eyed peas¹ cooked slowly with smoked pork and a few aromatics served over rice that’s been cooked in broth from the peas. A little heat from dried peppers, garlic or even hot sauce is nice, too. Nearly every culture has their take on rice and beans, this is America’s contribution.

Like collards, the traditional preparation calls for a ham hock, and if you’ve got one on hand, by all means, use it. But a few strips of thick, smokey bacon, sliced into batons will work just as well. The following should make enough for 4-6 servings, depending on whether you want them as the main course or an accompaniment to, say, country ham or a roast chicken.

Some recipes would have you add the rice directly to the cooked black-eyed peas but I prefer to cook them separately. It lets me make sure both the rice and the beans are cooked just right instead of ending up with a mushy, porridgy mix where neither is.

• 1 cup black-eyed peas
• ¼ pound of smokey bacon, cut into about ¼-inch thick lardon
• 2 cloves of garlic, cut lengthwise then smashed with the side of a knife
• ½ yellow onion, itself cut in half
• 1 carrot, peeled and quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 dried chili, coarsely chopped or 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 3-finger pinch of kosher salt
• 1 ½ - 2 cups of long grain white rice, such as basmati

Add the black-eyed peas, bacon, garlic, onion, carrot, bay leaf, peppers and thyme to a medium saucepan (at least 2 quarts) or enameled dutch oven. Cover completely with cold water, about 6 cups, and bring to a boil, then lower to a slow simmer. Stir it a few times then leave it alone for at least 45 minutes, when the beans will still be fairly al dente. Test for salt and add a healthy pinch, stir, and let continue to cook for at least half an hour more.

While the beans are cooking, dump the rice in a large bowl and fill it with water then stir to rinse it. You’ll notice the water is a milky color, pour it off, being careful not to lose too much rice, then repeat until the water starts to clear. This is the secret to good rice.

After about an hour and a half, the beans will probably be about the right consistency, still distinct, but not too starchy or toothy. Add a little more salt if you think it needs it but go slowly. Place a colander over a pot big enough to hold all of the liquid from the beans, line the colander with cheese cloth if you have it, and then pour the beans into the colander.

Pick out anything that’s bigger than bite-sized — the quartered onions and carrots, the bay leaf, distinct cloves of garlic — and dump it into your food waste bin. If there are bits of bacon that are more fat than meat, get rid of those, too, but keep some of the bacon. Pour the beans back into the saucepan you cooked them in and add half a cup or so of the broth to help keep them moist. Cover the beans.

Measure out enough of the bean broth so that you have about 1 ½ times as much broth as you do rice — for 2 cups of rice, this means 3 cups of broth. You can keep the rest of the broth, it should freeze great. In another saucepan or pot, bring the broth and rice to a boil, then cut the heat to about medium low and cover. Stir every five minutes or so to make sure it’s not sticking, it should be done in about 20 minutes. Set the beans on medium-low to reheat them when the rice has about seven minutes left.

You can stir the beans in with the rice if you like, I prefer to keep them separate, though I can’t tell you any good reason why. Serve them with mess o’ collards and good beer or even champagne if you’re feeling fancy.