Hopping John Modified Food

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 3 cups water). Add a pinch of salt and the smoked turkey and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, over medium heat until tender, about 2 hours.
• Melt the butter 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 and stir until toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Add 3 cups of water and 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the peas, check for seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, over medium-low heat until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and gently stir in 2 cups of the cooked peas. Cover and cook 10 minutes more. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the scallions before serving.

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.

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:

• 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

HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.

HOPPING JOHN (MODIFIED)

Steps:

• Prepare the 1 cup ham broth if using a base, or bullion. Make sure the base is well dissolved before adding to cooking pot. (I used 1 teaspoons Penzy's ham base to 1 cup water.).
• Chop Canadian Bacon into small pieces so you will get a little in each bite. Drain and rinse black eye peas. Set both aside.
• Add 1/3 cup water to pot, add prepared ham broth, and add the half cup of uncooked rice. Bring rice liquid to a boil over medium high heat, then stir in black eye peas and ham. As soon as rice liquid returns to a boil, cover pot, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook to rice directions. (Uncle Bens was 20 minutes. Your time may be slightly different.).
• NOTE: If your rice mixture looks too dry near the end, you can mix in a little water, or ham broth to make it more moist. If it's way too wet you can uncover mixture, stir, and cook a little longer until some of the excess moisture evaporates.