Fool a Carnivore

Hoppin’ John

Date: / By Nancy Olah

hoppin-john-meal

hoppin-john-meal Hoppin’ John is a traditional Charleston dish that is now served all through the South.

Although I’m a Northerner by birth, this is the dish I serve every year on New Year’s Day. I usually invite a lot of friends over and cook up a big mess of Hoppin’ John, collards, brown rice, and corn bread. Pecan pie and banana puddin’ are my staples for dessert. Everyone drinks lots of red wine and shares some good laughs over the past year.

Please note that I always use fresh black-eyed peas, which are always available in the South in late December. If you live in another area of the country, you will probably need to use dried black-eyed peas. Make them as I describe in the first step of the recipe.

Whatever you do, please don’t use canned black-eyed peas because that will ruin this wonderful dish. Serve with plenty of brown rice, collards, and corn bread for a wonderful dinner to bring you good luck throughout the New Year!

Hoppin' John
 
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Recipe type: Slow Cooker Meals
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 2 10-ounce containers of fresh black-eyed peas or 3 cups of dried black-eyed peas
  • 3–4 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt (only if you are using fresh black eyed-peas)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 stalks celery, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • 2 teaspoons miso
  • ¼ cup vegetable stock
  • 4 Tofurky Beer Brats
  • 4–5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
  • 4–5 sprigs of fresh parsley, finely minced
  • Cooked brown rice
Instructions
  1. In a pot with a cover, cook the fresh black-eyed peas, whole garlic cloves, and bay leaves in boiling water, salted with 1 tablespoon of sea salt, for 50–60 minutes until tender. If you are using dried black-eyed peas, you need to first soak them overnight. Drain and rinse well. Put the soaked black-eyed peas, garlic cloves, and bay leaves in a large pot or Dutch oven with just enough water to cover. Do not add salt to the water if you are cooking dried beans. Cook for at least 2 hours until tender, and then add a little sea salt to taste.
  2. While the black-eyed peas are cooking, heat a large skillet. Add the olive oil, and sauté the onion until translucent. Follow with the garlic, bay leaves, celery, and red bell pepper. After about 10 minutes, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, cloves, miso, and stock. Continue cooking for about 5–10 more minutes. Put everything except the black-eyed peas in a lined slow cooker.
  3. Cook on high for about 2 hours. Add the black-eyed peas and continue cooking for another hour.
  4. Sauté the brats in a lightly oiled pan. Let cool to make them easier to slice.
  5. About 30 minutes before serving, slice the brats lengthwise, and then into ½-inch slices. Add the brat pieces to the slow cooker mixture. Add the thyme leaves and parsley, and adjust for seasoning. Serve over brown rice.
Notes
Copyright © 2012 Nancy Olah