Hoppin' John 5

By SMSchreiber

Ingredients

• 1 lb package dry or frozen Black Eye Peas
• Seasoning meat like ham, thick bacon or sausage - cooked
• 1 medium diced onion (1 cup)
• 1 bell pepper (1 cup)
• 3 stalks diced celery
• 1 jalapeno (diced & no seeds)
• 1 can Rotel Tomatoes
• 1 t Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 t ground Thyme
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 4-6 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
• Chopped green onions for garnish
• 2 T canola oil
• 2 cups cooked long grain white rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 20 mins on low heat)

Preparation

Step 1

Putting it all together...

The night before cooking Hoppin John, soak the dry Black Eye Peas in a bowl of water. Cover and set aside until you are ready to cook. Then drain the peas in a colander.

Prepare all of your ingredients - choppin, dicing and measuring.

In a 6 quart pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of canola oil on medium high heat (#6). Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery. Add the 4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock. Add the Rotel tomatoes, seasonings, jalapeno, black eye peas, and cut up seasoning meat. (We slowly cooked 3 links of sausage on the grill the night before. You can also saute in a skillet.)

Make sure the mixture is covered with water. Add water if needed. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to medium low (#3). Simmer for 1 1/2 hours stirring occassionally.

In the last 1/2 hour, cook the rice according to package directions.

About ready to serve - spoon out a couple spoonfuls of black eye peas in a bowl. Smash with a fork. This will act as a thickener for the Black Eye Peas gravy. Pour back in the pot and stir.

Spoon out some rice in a deep bowl. Ladle on the Hoppin John and ENJOY!

This is a great dish for New Years Day or anytime of year. What a great comfort food. Also see our recipe for Turnip Greens that we cooked the same night.