Whether you’re from the South, have lived in the South or, like me, was raised by a Southerner, you know two things in life to be true. If you want to have luck in the new year, you absolutely must eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. And if you want to have any money, you also had better eat your greens.
With that in mind, I make my husband and kids take at least one bite of both every Jan. 1. Not an easy task when no one in the family besides me actually likes either black-eyed peas or greens. This year, though, that’s all going to change.
I usually start to think about my New Year’s Day dinner menu in mid-December. While others are worried about finding the right gifts or what to wear to the office holiday party, I’m racking my brain trying to think of a new way to make the annual choking down of the peas and greens more palatable. This year, I’m pretty sure I’ve cracked the code with Black-Eyed Peas and Greens Gratin.
When most people think of a gratin, they’re usually envisioning a piping hot pan of creamy, cheesy potatoes. But a gratin is a flexible dish that can be made with any number of ingredients beyond potatoes.
The term “gratin” is derived from the French verb gratiner—to broil. It’s typically baked in a shallow dish (sometimes called a “gratin dish”) and always topped with something that will create a nice, crispy crust when the dish goes into a hot oven or under a broiler.
Who doesn’t love a creamy dish, topped with buttery breadcrumbs and a generous amount of cheese? So, I set about to create a recipe that would take my two must-have ingredients and turn them into something my family would feel lucky to eat.
I started by sautéing onions and garlic in butter. Large handfuls of coarsely chopped Swiss chard (this year’s greens of choice) were tossed in and cooked just until wilted. A little nutmeg, which pairs so well with any type of green, and flour are sprinkled over the top before half-and-half is poured in to create a rich sauce.
Black-eyed peas are added and the whole mixture is poured into a baking dish before being generously topped with a mixture of coarse fresh breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and melted butter and baked until golden brown and bubbly.
One bite and I knew I'd found our new lucky New Year’s Day dish. It was creamy, cheesy and earthy in flavor, with an addictive crunchy, cheesy topping. It has a decadent quality without being heavy.
And while the black-eyed peas and Swiss chard are not lost in this gratin, they are certainly less assertive than they can be in other preparations, which makes this the perfect dish to either introduce these ingredients to the uninitiated or convert the black-eyed pea haters in your life to black-eyed pea lovers.
Black-Eyed Peas and Greens Gratin
Serves 8.• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 large onion, sliced thin (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tsp. salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 bunches Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 lb. total), stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. half-and-half
• 2 (15-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/4 c. coarse fresh whole wheat or white breadcrumbs
• 3/4 c. finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (about 2 oz.)
• 3 tbsp. melted butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 3-quart baking dish or large gratin dish with cooking spray.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add 1/3 of Swiss chard and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining Swiss chard in 2 more batches. Add nutmeg, cayenne and flour and stir to combine. Add half-and-half and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Add black-eyed peas and reduce to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until hot.
In a large bowl, toss together breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons melted butter, Parmesan cheese and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Transfer the filling to the prepared baking dish, top with breadcrumb mixture, and bake until golden brown on top and bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let rest about 10 minutes, and serve.
