Spice up your serving of black-eyed peas with this recipe

The tradition of eating black-eyed peas and cabbage to start off the new year is one that many of us—especially in the South—have upheld for as long as we can remember. We were told to eat cabbage for wealth and prosperity, and black-eyed peas for good luck, which we can all use after 2020.

While many of us make sure to get that cabbage and black-eyed pea meal in on Jan. 1, there’s no rule saying you can’t enjoy those flavors all month long.

225 recipe writer Tracey Koch came up with her own takes of the classic dishes for our January issue.

And first up is a spicy version of black-eyed peas with a kick of smoky tasso and chopped pickled jalapeño peppers.

The pickled jalapeño gives the peas, which can be a bit bland, a great tang, while the tasso adds a slight smoky flavor. Tracey also likes to simmer the peas in chicken broth in place of water to give them a bit more heartiness.

Read on for the recipe, which appeared in the January 2020 issue of 225.