We're Up All Night to Get...You Know: 7 Lucky New Year's Foods

Get your mind out of the gutter -- we can all use a little luck! Which is why we'll be counting down with these extra-festive foods. Serve for fortune that outlasts even the liveliest party.

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Grapes

In Spain, revelers mark the New Year by quickly eating a dozen grapes at midnight. The fruits are said to be a predictor of the year ahead: Each sweet grape represents a good month, each sour grape a less-than-lucky one. Adopt the tradition by threading grapes onto skewers, and serve each in a glass of Champagne just before the countdown.

Black-Eyed Peas

In the South, eating black-eyed peas shows humility and thus invites good fortune.

Hearty Black-Eyed Peas

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cans (15 ounces each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add oregano, black-eyed peas, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until liquid is thick and peas are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Lentils

In Italy, lentils are served because an abundance of the tiny edible seeds symbolizes wealth.

Lentil and Escarole Soup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped 3/4 cup French green lentils 1 bay leaf 2 whole canned tomatoes, drained, seeded, and coarsely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 slices Italian bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 1/2 escarole, cut crosswise into 1-inch strips 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and carrot, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, bay leaf, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and 5 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. Toast bread cubes on a baking sheet, turning occasionally until golden brown, about 7 minutes.

3. Add escarole to soup, and cook for 5 minutes more. Adjust seasonings, and serve in four bowls topped with croutons and olive oil.

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Coins

Foods shaped like coins are thought to bring prosperity to those who eat them.

Honey-Walnut Coins

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (about 4 3/4 ounces)
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey, preferably orange blossom, plus cup, warmed until liquid, for brushing

1. Pulse flour, salt, and 3/4 cup walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped.

2. Beat butter with a standing mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, 2 minutes more. Beat in 1/3 cup honey. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined (dough will begin to pull together). Shape into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 1/2 hours (or up to 2 days).

3. Preheat oven to 325. Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Pinch off about 2 teaspoons dough, and roll into a 1-inch ball. Repeat, spacing balls about 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Flatten cookies to 1/2 inch thick with the floured bottom of a glass. Press one of the remaining walnut pieces into each cookie.

4. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are pale golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks, and brush cookies with warm honey. Let cool. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Pork

Ham, because of its fat, is served to bring a New Year rich with happiness.

1 smoked bone-in ham (10 pounds)
1/2 cup orange marmalade (5 ounces)
3 tablespoons Madeira or dry sherry
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 navel orange

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover ham with a large piece of parchment and then foil. Place ham, widest side down, on a heavy rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour.

2. Heat marmalade, Madeira or sherry, lemon juice, and juice of 1/2 orange in a saucepan over medium heat until runny, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove ham from oven, and uncover. Score ham all over in a diamond pattern. Brush 1/2 of the glaze over ham. Thinly slice remaining 1/2 orange, and arrange slices over glaze, covering the ham.

4. Increase temperature to 425 degrees. Bake ham, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze, and bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing. Top with orange slices, and serve.

Cornbread

A side of cornbread (with your ham, of course) represents the glories of gold.

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 6 sprigs for garnish (optional)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
5 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put cornmeal in a large bowl. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into cornmeal. Stir in chopped rosemary.

2. Put eggs, sugar, buttermilk, and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches; mix until just combined.

3. Divide batter between two 5 1/8-by-3 3/4-by-2-inch wooden molds; top each with 3 rosemary sprigs, if desired (remove before cutting). Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in molds on a wire rack.

Soba

One of Japan's most beloved foods, soba, or buckwheat noodles, are customarily eaten at midnight on December 31, when they are called toshi-koshi ("from one year to another") soba. The noodles symbolize longevity, so the longer they are, the better.

Asian Noodle Salad

8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 ounces soba noodles
6 ounces tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 scallions, minced

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 8 ounces trimmed green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a colander. In same pot, cook 6 ounces soba noodles according to package instructions; drain well (do not rinse).

2. Meanwhile, cut 6 ounces firm silken tofu into 1/2-inch cubes; drain on paper towels. Place in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil. Pour half the dressing over tofu; toss gently to coat.

3. In a large bowl, toss remaining dressing with noodles, green beans, and 2 minced scallions. Sprinkle tofu on top. Let cool.

More from Martha Stewart:
Quick, One-Pot Meal Ideas To Feed the Whole Family
20 Classic Comfort Food Recipes from Martha Stewart
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This one-pan pork dish will start your year on a light (and lucky) note.