Black Eye Pea Hoppin John Soup For New Years Food

HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Soak black-eyed peas in cool water for at least 6 hours. Rinse before using.
• Heat butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery and stir. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in soaked beans, then add chicken broth, ham hock, salt & pepper, and cayenne to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover the pot for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, check the liquid level; if it's too soupy, cook with the lid off for another 15 minutes or so. If it's too thick, splash in a little more broth. Stir in vinegar, then taste for seasonings. Add more spice if needed.
• Serve over white or brown rice, making sure to get plenty of the cooking liquid spooned over the top. Or, you may mix the bean mixture with the rice before serving.
• Variations: Add red bell pepper, canned diced tomatoes, diced jalapenos, diced ham (instead of ham hocks), or sliced bacon (instead of ham hocks). Stir in torn-up kale when 5 minutes of cooking time remain. You can also use canned, drained black-eyed peas if preferred. Just use diced ham instead of ham hock and a little less broth, as peas won't need to cook as long.

DEEP SOUTH HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook in a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat.
• When bacon is almost crisped, add 1/2 of the diced green bell pepper and 1/2 of the diced red bell pepper. Add all of the diced celery, onion and minced garlic. Cook together until bacon is crisped.
• Add chicken broth to bacon and vegetables, scraping any bacon drippings from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and add frozen peas. Return to a simmer. Add bay leaves, thyme, salt, cayenne and black pepper. Cook covered for 15-20 minutes. Add remaining bell pepper. Cook for 10-15 more minutes. Taste. Add salt if needed. Peas should be tender. Extend cooking time if needed.
• Serve over cooked rice or fold rice in to the peas to make a one pot dish.

BLACK EYE PEA "HOPPIN JOHN" SOUP FOR NEW YEARS

Steps:

• 1. The night before... Put smoked ham hocks in the crock pot with 3 cups of water. Simmer over night.
• 2. The night before..... Rinse the black eye peas and put in a saucepan, covered with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and let sit for one hour.Drain,and rinse two tines. Put in a bowl covered with fresh cold water. Put in refrigerator over night.
• 3. Next morning: strain the pork hocks,and the liquid, into a bowl. Pick out, the pork hock meat,bones,and skin and put on a plate to cool. Now strain the liquid again, put the clear liquid back into the crock pot. and add the drained black eye peas. Cook on high.
• 4. When the hocks are cool enough , pick off all the meat. Throw all scraps away, and put the meat back into the crock pot. Cover. Cook the rice. Set aside.
• 5. Scrape and slice the carrots into coins,chop the onion, and put into the crock pot. Cook on high till the carrots are done.
• 6. When the carrots are done add the cooked rice, and the cut up canned spinach. Add more chicken broth if needed. Simmer til serving time.
• 7. Instead of canned spinach you can use fresh cut up collard greens,or fresh spinach. Serve with hot sauce, and home made corn bread, for a delicious meal. Or at half timefor your foot ball friends! Happy New Year ! ....12/17/11

BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, cook and stir the pork sausage and ground beef with the onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes; drain off excess fat. Pour in the water, and stir in black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, tomatoes with green chiles, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, salt, canned green chilies, molasses, beef bouillon cubes, black pepper, and cumin until thoroughly mixed.
• Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

BLACK EYED PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Cover black eyed peas with water. Sit on counter for 8 hours or overnight. Drain water.
• In the bottom of a 6 quart dutch oven or similar, fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels, reserve drippings.
• To the drippings add onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.
• To the pot add, black eyed peas, ham, tomatoes, collards, Cajun seasoning, salt, cumin and lemon pepper. Add 6 cups chicken broth. Mix well.
• Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium. Cook for 30 minutes. Check level of broth and add 1 or 2 cups of reserved broth, or to your taste. Continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes over medium or until black eyed peas are tender.
• Mix bacon into the soup or sprinkle on top. Serve garnished with green onion and a slice of cornbread, if desired.

HOPPIN' JOHN SOUP (BLACK-EYED PEAS AND RICE)

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat; saute onion for 1 minute, then add garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
• Add peas, thyme, and 9 cups chicken broth, and bring to a boil.
• Parboil peas, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes; then remove from heat and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Add the water and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat to simmer and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until almost mushy (1 hour).
• In a seperate pot, cook rice according to package directions.
• Fry bacon, then add the celery and saute until it's clear.
• When rice and celery are done add them to the peas along with all remaining ingredients (including remaining 2 cups broth).
• Bring to a boil, and taste for seasoning.
• At this point it isn't necessary to continue cooking, but you can cook longer if desired.
• Serve with cornbread.

BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Sort through the peas and pick out any pebbles or other debris. Rinse the peas under cold water. Put the peas in a 5-quart Dutch oven and cover with 5 cups cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, cover and let peas soak for 1 hour.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. When cool, crumble the bacon and set aside. Add the oil to the skillet with the bacon fat Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the collard greens and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the vegetables to the Dutch oven along with the chicken broth, ham hock, crumbled bacon, rice and 4 cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the peas and rice are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the ham hock from the Dutch oven. Discard the skin and bone. Chop the meat into small pieces and return it to the Dutch oven. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

BLACK EYED PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients into a large stockpot.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling stir, lower heat to lowest setting and cover.
• Simmer stirring occasionally until beans are tender, about 1 1/2- 2 hours.
• Remove ham hocks from beans, place onto a plate and remove meat from bones. Cut ham into smaller pieces if necessary and add back into beans. Dispose of bone and skin.
• Beans may be served at this time.See Note #5 below for instructions on thickening soup.