New Year's Day is my holiday, and in the absence of Korean food (sorry ancestors, but there's only so much sticky rice cake I can eat!) this is a nice fresh version of an American dish filled with historical meaning. Did you know Sephardic Jews ate black eyed peas for luck!?!? And African slaves brought them to the US? And they symbolize money in the new year!

Those are all new facts to me. I hope they bring us luck in the new year!

In Spain we eat a dish of green lentils, spinach, ham (usually from a bone of a jamon serrano), with blood sausage (morcilla) and chorizo. Here's one recipe: 

http://www.hogarutil.com/cocina/recetas/legumbres/201202/lentejas-espinacas-13936.html

• Para 4-6 personas:
• 400 gr. de lentejas (green lentils)
• 250 gr. de panceta fresca (dry cured ham, jamon serrano or in the US Country Ham)
• 250 gr. de espinacas (Spinach, frozen chopped is fine)
• 1 cebolleta (Onion / Shallots)
• 1 morcilla (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morcilla_de_Burgos)
• 1 chorizo
• 2 zanahorias (Carrots)
• 3 patatas (Potatoes)
• 1 puerro (Leek)
• 2 ñoras (dried gundilla chile, dried ancho)
• agua (water) or caldo de veduras (vegetable broth)
• aceite de oliva virgen extra (EVOO)
• sal (salt)
• laurel (bay leaves)

Peel, wash, chop the onion, celery, leeks and mince the garlic

Fry the onion, celery, leeks (and garlic of you want) and bayleaf in a little oil until transparent

Add the lentils, ham, chorizo, blood sausage and the broth

Cook (pressure cooker is good) until the lentils are cooked

Then add the spinach, peeled carrots and potatoes (kept fairly large pieces)

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top

Serve