Side Dish — Hoppin’ John by dvdlee

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Side Dish -- Hoppin' John
Submitted by dvdlee on August 27, 2004 at 10:08 am

DESCRIPTION
Side Dish -- Hoppin' John

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Family / Ethnic / Regional

INSTRUCTIONS
Black-eyed peas are a prominent pulse in Southern cooking. They are not only eaten by rural people, but almost by everyone at one time or another in the South. (Texas caviar is a marinated black-eye pea salad, but that's a different recipe!)

Black-eyed peas combined with rice are the basis of the dish Hoppin' John (and no one really knows where the name comes from!). This is frequently served on New Years Day since it is a folk superstition that eating black-eyed peas on that day means you will have "good-luck" that year. (I haven't noticed any difference!)

(A LOL -- in South Carolina they have a dish made from Okra & Rice called "Limpin' Susan"!)

This is a modernized version (which tastes better) since it uses more vegetables and a few basic herbs for flavor. (This is taken from Craig Claborne's out-of-print cookbook "Southern Cooking".) Original Hoppin' John only uses peas, water, onion, salt-pork & rice.

1/8 pound streaky bacon or salt pork cut into small cubes (this should give you around 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup diced carrots
1/2 finely chopped celery
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
10 oz. fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
1 garlic clove (peeled)
2 & 3/4 cups water (more or less)
6 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 bay leaf
Salt (if needed)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, but tasty)
1 cup rice
2 Tablespoon butter

1. Put the diced meat in a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until all the cubes are crisp and the fat has rendered out. Add carrots, celery & onion and cook, stirring around 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add peas, garlic, around 1 & 1/4 cups water (to barely cover the peas & veggies). Then add thyme, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered 30 to 40 minutes until the peas are tender, but not mushy!! Remove from heat.

3. Put rice in a saucepan and add 1 & 1/2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and let cook around 17 minutes until done. (Or follow your package directions for rice.) Add butter to the cooked rice.

4. Reheat pea mixture if needed. Spoon hot rice in a platter on on an individual serving dish or plate. Spoon the hot pea mixture, including liquid, over the rice.

5. Top with any or all of the garnished listed below:
chopped fresh tomato
finely grated chedder cheese
finely chopped green onion

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