Hoppin John
Hello!! Welcome to 2021. We have made it this far, why not add a little luck to our lives?
My mama made me eat a black eyed pea for the new year every year. Yes a single pea was all I’d eat, and it was probably a miracle she got me to do that. I was a very picky kid. I didn’t realize all the delicious food I’d been missing until I grew up and started cooking.
Anyway, back to the luck and the peas. I don’t know the magic behind the black eyed peas, but mama made them every year. I didn’t have any last year and well, look how that turned out. So this year we aren’t taking any chances. Black eyed peas are on the menu!
I guess Hoppin John is a southern thing because My Man is a yankee transplant and he looked at me like I was crazy when I told him what I was making.
Hoppin John is not just for the new year, it’s a delicious comfort food dish that’s great anytime. I just figured it would be a good way to incorporate the black eyed peas into our meal.
It’s basically black eyed peas, bacon and rice with a bunch of other yumminess added to it. If you, or someone you cook for, are not a fan of black eyed peas… this is the dish for you! There is so much going on in this dish, you’re not even going to notice those peas!
There are so many ways that you can change this up and make it your own! If you don’t like bacon (why not?), you could always use ham instead. If you don’t want one of the other vegetables in the dish, leave it out! If you don’t like the heat of the cayenne, use red pepper flakes or chili powder instead. There are so many ways to alter and make substitutions to this, you can truly make it to your liking.
What do you say? Ready to give this a try? You’re not going to regret it.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 lb bacon (cut into small slices)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
2 celery ribs (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
2 cups broth or water (I use chicken broth)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 15 oz can black eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
Ok. Let’s do this!
Start by cooking your bacon in a Dutch oven or large skillet. When it’s done, remove and let it drain on a paper towel lined plate.
In the left over bacon drippings, sauté the onions, green peppers, celery and garlic until almost tender.
Add the rice, broth and all the seasonings to the pot. Cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 10 minutes, add your black eyed peas and bacon. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid rice from sticking.
Remove the bay leaf and serve with cornbread and maybe a side of greens!
You can get my recipe for cheddar and green chili cornbread here. It pairs really well with this dish.
I hope you enjoy the Hoppin John, and I hope the black eyed peas bring you the best of luck in this new year!
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hoppin John
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon cut into small slices
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 2 cups broth or water I use chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 15 oz can black eyed peas rinsed and drained
Instructions
- Start by cooking your bacon in a Dutch oven or large skillet. When it’s done, remove and let it drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- In the left over bacon drippings, sauté the onions, green peppers, celery and garlic until almost tender.
- Add the rice, broth and all the seasonings to the pot. Cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 10 minutes, add your black eyed peas and bacon. Cover and simmer 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid rice from sticking.
- Remove the bay leaf and serve