Hoppin Johns. A classic Southern dish to celebrate New Year's. The black-eyed peas are for good fortune in the coming year. Hoppin' John is a basic, simple black-eyed pea stew.
John is best known for his southern culinary expertise and his stone-ground grits and cornmeal. New Year's Day often includes a feast of foods to symbolize health, luck and prosperity in the coming year. Hoppin' John is found in most states of the South, but it is mainly associated with the Carolinas. You can have Hoppin Johns using 13 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you achieve it.
Ingredients of Hoppin Johns
- You need of black eyed peas, dry.
- It's of olive oil.
- It's of medium yellow onion, chopped.
- You need of celery stalks, chopped.
- Prepare of garlic, minced.
- Prepare of bay leaves.
- You need of chili powder.
- It's of fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves.
- It's of low-sodium chicken broth.
- It's of large smoked ham hock.
- Prepare of kosher salt and black pepper,.
- It's of white rice, steamed.
- It's of green onion, chopped, for garnish.
Hoppin' John is also known to many as Carolina Peas and Rice. I'd been developing this Vegan Hoppin' John recipe, so I included it on the menu. So many black-eyed pea preparations I've tried in the past have been bland and flavorless. Hoppin' john is a rice and bean dish that is common to Africa, the Caribbean islands, and the southeastern region of the United States.
Hoppin Johns instructions
- Pour the black eyed peas onto a rimmed baking sheet and shake to distribute them into a single layer. Search through and discard any bad peas or stones. Transfer to a strainer, rinse with cool water and set aside..
- Place a large soup pot over medium heat and warm the olive oil until shimmering. Then add the onion and celery and cook for about 3 minutes until the onions and celery soften a bit..
- Next,add garlic and stir in the bay leaves, chili powder and thyme leaves and allow the spices to toast for about 1 minute..
- Pour in the chicken broth then add the ham hock and give it a stir. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Allow stock to simmer for 30 minutes..
- After simmering, stir in the black eyed peas and return to a boil, then reduce heat again to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 1–1 ½ hours or until the black eyed peas are creamy and tender. Once the peas are tender, remove the ham hock from the pot and separate the meat from the bone. Cut away the fat and gristle, chop the meat and add back to the pot..
- Test the soup and season to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper..
- Serve over steamed white rice and garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!.
The dish is typically made with long-grain white rice and. Hoppin' John is a fixture on Southern menus. Usually served as the side to a main course, it is—in simple terms—a blend of rice and black-eyed peas. This is a quick and easy side dish that will become a favorite of your family.—Anne Creech, Kinston, North Carolina. Well I have to be honest, I had no idea until a friend of mine said she was making it for dinner the other night.