Hoppin' John

Name: Hoppin' John
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup dry black-eyed peas picked over and rinsed; 2 qt. chicken stock; 1 ham hock; 1 bay leaf; 2 medium yellow onions diced; 2 medium carrots peeled and diced; 2 stalks celery diced; 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced; 2 sprigs thyme leaves fresh; 1 jalapeño seeded and diced; 2 cups white rice; 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter divided; ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper; 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

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Dining on blackeye peas and greens is a New Year's Day tradition to help bring luck and money for the new year. Eating Hoppin John is the southern version of the blackeye pea side of this tradition. Googling the when and where of this recipe has lots of theories but one thing is consistent, no one really knows. In fact, no one knows why it's called Hoppin' John. Who's John and why he likes to hop. The most important part is that it creates a nice hearty dish to help work off New Year's Eve.

Ingredients

1 cup dry black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed

2 qt. chicken stock

1 ham hock

1 bay leaf

2 medium yellow onions, diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 sprigs thyme leaves, fresh

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

2 cups white rice

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Place the black-eyed peas in a pot, cover with water and boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Cover and let sit for 1 hour.

Drain the beans.

Place the beans, chicken stock, bay leaf and ham hock in the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender. About 1 hour.

Drain the beans, RESERVING THE LIQUID. Discard the bay leaf. Set aside the ham hock.

Once the ham hock has cooled, chop up the meat and discard the rest.

In a large stainless steel skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add the onions to the pan and saute until the onions begin to soften.

Add the carrots and celery. Saute until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and sautee for 1 minute.

Add the thyme and jalapeno and saute for 1 minute.

While cooking the vegetables, in a saucepan bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the rice, 4 tablespoons of the butter and cayene pepper and simmer until the rice is cooked.

Into a blender, add 1 cup of the black-eyed peas, 2 cups of the reserved liquid and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Blend the black-eyed peas and the reserved liquid until it's smooth. About 3 minutes.

To the blended gravy, add the cider vinegar. Blend. Salt to taste.

Reduce the vegetable mixture to low. Add the rice to the vegetable mixture. Stir to incorporate the rice to vegetables.

Add the remaining black-eyed peas to a large bowl. Add the rice mixture and fold into the peas.

Add half of the gravy to the bowl and fold into the rice and pea mixture. Fold lighty, as to not break up the beans.

Season the Hoppin' John with salt and pepper.

Serve the black-eyed peas in seperate bowls, sprinkled with chives. Serve the remaining gravy in a bowl for guests to add as needed.