This is a traditional rice and beans dish that is traditional to the South. As a general rule, this dish is normally eaten on New Year's Day, and is thought to bring good luck. I remember my grandmother telling me as a child that, the more back-eyed peas that I ate, the more money I'd have. Evidently, in her version of the tale, the peas were what brought the luck, rather than the dish itself, and each pea eaten was worth a penny in my pocket.
Supposedly, any Hoppin' John that is leftover, and eaten the next day, was called Skippin' Jenny. Of course, at my house, there was never any leftovers! This is great to serve with almost any meat dish, along with collard greens (or any other broad, leafy low country green vegetable). Though, I prefer them with collard greens, with a little white vinegar to spruce up the flavor.
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
2 small smoked ham hock, a meaty ham bone, or some nice thick bacon.
2 medium onions, divided
3 large cloves garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 can diced tomatoes with chile peppers, juices reserved (10 to 14 oz)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced
2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
4 green onions, sliced
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- In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine the black-eyed peas, ham bone, ham hocks or bacon, and 6 cups water. If using the bacon, be sure to cut it into smaller sections and fry it nicely done first.
- Cut 1 of the onions in half and add it to the pot along with the garlic and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- If using the ham bone or ham hocks, remove them, cut off the meat; dice and set aside. If using bacon, simply remove and set aside.
- Drain the peas and set aside.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf, onion pieces, and garlic.
- Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is almost tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Mince the remaining onion then add to the rice.
- Also add the peas, tomatoes, and their juices, the red and green bell pepper, celery, jalapeno pepper, Creole seasoning, thyme, cumin, and salt.
- Cook until the rice is tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the sliced green onions and the reserved diced ham or bacon.
Notes: Serve with hot sauce and freshly baked cornbread.
A word about the bacon. The more the merrier. If you use it, use the whole package. In this case, I believe that more is better.
In the States, diced tomatoes with chile peppers, are typically sold under the brand name Rotel. If you wish, use the store brand of this item or, if you cannot locate these at your grocer, purchase a can of diced tomatoes, and add about 1/2 can of green chilies, diced.
Go wild! Use sausages or chicken instead of ham, or substitute black beans for black-eyed peas.
