Hoppin' John

Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year.

Rice for riches and peas for peace.

~ Southern saying for eating a serving of Hoppin' John on New Year's Day

Hoppin' John is an American dish with African/Caribbean/French roots. It's a bean dish made of black-eyed peas that are simmered with ham hocks or sausages and rice. This dish is found in most of the southern states, but it is typically associated with the Gullah or Low Country cuisine of the Carolinas. Hoppin' John is one of those "good luck" New Year's Day foods. The black-eyed peas symbolize money and are thought to bring prosperity. Pigs (pork) are a lucky symbol because they root forward when looking for their food, hence forward progress in the new year.

Another one of my New Year's resolutions is to use up everything in my pantry and freezer without shopping for anything else. A batch of Hoppin' John took care of a bag of frozen black-eyed peas, a ham hock, two chicken Italian sausages, a quart of chicken broth and 

1 1/2 cups of brown rice.

Hoppin' John

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil

1 large ham hock

1 c. onion, chopped

1/2 c. celery, chopped

1/2 c. green pepper, chopped

1 T. chopped garlic

1 lb. black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed (a 1 lb. bag of frozen black-eyed peas  works just fine if you don't want to use the dried)

1 quart chicken stock

Bay leaf

1 t. dried thyme 

Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

3 c. steamed white rice (or brown rice, if you prefer)

Directions

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 3-4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic and 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 gently. If the liquid evaporates, add more stock or water. Adjust the seasonings. Serve over rice.