Hoppin John Cheese Dip Food

SOUTHERN HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Saute pepper, celery and onions in drippings until almost tender. Add rice, water and seasonings. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add peas and bacon; simmer 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaf.

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.

HOPPIN JOHN

Steps:

• Heat a medium heavy-bottomed saucepot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the black-eyed peas and cover with cold water by 1 inch (should be about 6 cups water). Add the smoked turkey and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook over medium heat, covered, until tender, about 2 hours, then turn off the heat.
• Melt the butter and oil in a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook just until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the rice to the pot and stir until toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Add 3 cups water and 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the peas. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook over medium-low heat until the rice is tender and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and gently stir in 2 cups of the cooked peas (save the remainder for another use). Cover and cook for 10 minutes more. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the sliced scallions before serving.

HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Thinly slice 3 scallions. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet; add the scallion whites, 2 ounces diced smoked ham, 1 diced celery stalk, 1/2 diced green bell pepper, and salt; cook, stirring, 6 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and a pinch of cayenne; cook 1 minute. Add 10 ounces thawed frozen black-eyed peas and 1 cup chicken broth; simmer 8 minutes. Stir in the scallion greens. Serve over rice if using.

HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• In a large pan place the peas, ham hock, onion, red pepper, salt and pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove ham hock and cut meat into pieces. Return meat to pot. Stir in the rice, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top, if desired. Serve

SMOKED WHITEFISH DIP

Steps:

• Remove the bones from the fish and flake into large pieces. Set aside.
• Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce, dill, Worcestershire sauce, seafood seasoning, green onions, celery and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add the fish and pulse a few times to combine. Season with salt and pepper
• Transfer the dip to a bowl. Top with dill and lemon slices and serve with celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, radishes and crackers.

EASY HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Place the sausage and onion into a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir until the sausage begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the black-eyed peas, chicken stock, water, and cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

BROOKLYN-STYLE HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cover peas generously with water, add baking soda and soak overnight.
• The next day, rinse ham hocks and pat dry. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Sear ham hocks and ham trimmings, turning so all sides are cooked.
• Remove seasoning meat, if using. Add water to ham hocks just to cover, bring to a boil and then turn heat to a strong simmer. Partly cover pot and cook hocks until slightly tender, about 45 minutes.
• If using seasoning meat, return it to pot. Add peas, onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, bay leaves, salt and red pepper, along with five cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer and cook until beans are tender and water begins to look saucy, 30 to 45 minutes. Serve over white rice with vinegar peppers, if desired.