Happy almost New Year’s everyone! It’s so hard to believe this year has come to an end. I have a slew of wonderful memories.
I love New Year’s Eve, it’s full of promise and hope for a better year. A year filled with health, organization, great food and more balance in life. We’ll see how I do.
How many of you start the New Year with food known for good luck? I am not a superstitious person, but everyone could use a little good juju…right? Lots of different foods are considered lucky on this day as they symbolize the eater’s hopes and dreams for the coming months and years.
Pork is considered a symbol of “progress” by many countries. A pig’s feeding habits cause them to “root forward” with their snouts, never looking back. Pigs are also…rotund, a sign of prosperity in many places around the world. Enjoy your pork in any form you choose and then buy a power ball ticket?! Why not.
I’ve also added (lucky) black-eyed peas to these nachos due to their resemblance of coins, a symbol of abundance. (Go get on a slot machine I suppose). Cornbread is also considered lucky, but instead I’ve added just the corn itself, emblematic of golden nuggets. I know.
Let’s also pretend the lettuce are our “greens”, a sign of cash money and prosperity for the future. However, if you prefer to use other greens, go for it!
These are seriously some pretty lucky nachos! Eat up!
I have flavored these nachos with my Eastern Carolina Pulled Pork Sauce. It’s absolutely the most amazing liquid gold for pulled pork and a must for these nachos.
And what would nachos be without cheese? One of my favorite memories of 2013 was the culinary trend work I did with Sargento Cheese. I spent a year investigating what was happening in the trendy foodie world and let me say, I have added some of those habits to my cooking repertoire…especially making all things smokey!
I used some of my fave cheese blends for these nachos, Sargento’s® Fine Cut Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican and a touch of Sargento’s® Traditional Cut Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese for the smokey flavor I love.
Lucky and Loaded Pulled Pork & Black-Eyed Pea Nachos
Recipe Created by Cathy Pollak for NoblePig.com | Serves: 8
Ingredients:
3 cups beef stock
4-5 pounds pork butt
salt and pepper
6-8 cups tortilla chips
2 cups Sargento's® Fine Cut Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican
1 cup Sargento's® Traditional Cut Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
1-1/4 cups romaine lettuce (or greens), shredded
1 cup frozen, black-eyed peas (cooked according directions on bag)
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
1/2 cup corn
1/4 cup pickled jalapeno, sliced
Eastern Carolina Pulled Pork Sauce
Directions:
Add beef stock to a 7 quart slow cooker. Generously season pork with salt and pepper. Place pork in slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until pork is pull apart tender.
When pork is ready and before removing from the slow cooker, prepare chips. On a rimmed, foil-lined baking tray (12 x 18) sprayed with cooking spray, add chips and sprinkle with cheese. Place in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
While chips are in the oven, remove pork from slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Shred pork with two forks, removing any fat. Place shredded pork on top of chips with melted cheese. Layer with lettuce, tomatoes, corn and black-eyed peas. Drizzle pulled pork sauce over the top and serve. Dot with jalapenos (as many as you like).
~An after thought. For fun we drizzled some of the nachos with blue cheese dressing...oh my goodness what a combination of flavors! I highly suggest trying it.
Cathy owns a vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.