Quick Hoppin' John

Quick Hoppin’ John is a timeless classic of black-eyed peas and rice, especially at home for New Year’s.

Quick Hoppin’ John

by Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

Hoppin’ John might be “the” recipe to go to for New Year’s Day. But as dried legume recipes go, that might require soaking peas overnight or a long cooking process. And if you forget or don’t have time for that extra prep, using canned peas can make things quite a bit easier.

Packed with the classic Cajun trinity of green pepper, celery and onion, which is in itself the American counterpart to the French mirepoix (carrot, celery and onion), this recipe has flavors naturally built in.

To that add the extra dimension of smoked pork jowl, which is a type of thick southern bacon, and it puts it right over the top. Serve with your choice of rice or grits, this is a very hearty, economical and life-sustaining meal. Enjoy.

~Sue

Quick Hoppin' John

Servings: 3-4
Time: 1hr 10mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

2 (15-16 ounce) cans black eyed peas or field peas, with liquid
8 ounces smoked jowl or extra thick bacon, rind removed and discarded, meat diced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup diced celery
1 large ripe tomato, cored and diced
3-5 cloves garlic sliced
1 fresh bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cajun spice
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
black pepper and salt to taste (may not need salt)
steamed white rice or cooked grits

Method:

Remove rind from jowl, dice meat and saute the jowl until the fat renders out; remove excess fat drippings.
Add onion, green pepper, celery, tomato, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and cook until onions soften.
Stir in the chicken broth, Cajun spice, and hot sauce.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Stir in the parsley and adjust slat and pepper to taste.
Serve with steamed white rice or cooked grits as desired.

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com