Hoppin' John with Andouille Sausage

Nancy Olah

Hoppin' John with Andouille Sausage

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. This is the family-sized version of my recipe, which I usually make for a crowd. I used vegan Artisian Tofurky Andouille Sausage this year, and thought it was a great improvement. Please note that I usually use fresh black-eyed peas, which are 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, kale (or collards) and corn bread for a wonderful vegan dinner that's delicious any day of the year!

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 30

Servings: 6

Course: Slow Cooker Meals

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

2 10- ounce containers of fresh organic black-eyed peas or 3 cups of dried organic 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
4 Artisian Tofurky Andouille Sausage sliced
4 –5 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves removed
4 –5 sprigs of fresh parsley finely minced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooked brown rice

Method

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.
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, and, cloves. Continue cooking for about 5–10 more minutes. Put everything except the black-eyed peas in a slow cooker.
Cook on high for about 2 hours. Add the black-eyed peas and continue cooking for another hour.
About thirty minutes before you're ready to serve, turn the slow cooker to low, and add the sliced sausage.
Right before serving, add the thyme leaves and parsley, adjust for seasoning and serve over brown rice.