Black-Eyed Peas or Hoppin’ John

Description

In the south, it is required that we eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for good luck.  I love beans of all kinds, but never was able to make a good batch of black-eyed peas--they always seemed to come out too watery and fell apart.  They were tasty, but mushy.  

At a new year's party one year, I had "Hoppin' John," which includes smoked meats and greens.  I loved it and the beans were nice and plump and firm.  I got a little more serious about finding a way to preserve the firmness of the beans and came up with this recipe.  It incorporates bacon, Andouille sausage and greens--I like to use beet greens this time of year, but collard and mustard greens are probably more traditional.

Oh, by the way--the first day you eat these beans, they're called "Hoppin' John," and the next day they're called "Skipping Jenny."

Ingredients
  • 1 lb dried black-eyed peas
  • 4-5 slices, thick bacon (chopped)
  • 1 cup smoked Andouille sausage (chopped)
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 3 ribs celery (chopped)
  • 2-3 clove garlic (minced)
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme (2 tablespoons fresh)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1-2 tsp Creole seasoning
  • 7-8 cup chicken broth
  • 2-3 cup beet, collard or mustard greens (chopped)
  • salt, pepper and jalapeno pepper to taste (could also substitute a few dashes of tabasco sauce)
Instructions
  1. 1
    Thoroughly rinse the dried peas and remove any dirt or stones. Place rinsed beans in a large stock pot and cover with a few inches of cool water. Let soak for 2-3 hours.
  2. 2
    Drain the beans and set aside. Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat. When hot, add a little olive oil and then add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Add sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove bacon and sausage and put aside.
  3. 3
    To the hot oil in the pot, add the onions, garlic, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Add jalapeño at this point if using. Saute for a few minutes until the onions are transparent. Add the drained beans to the pot and stir to thoroughly coat with the mixture of spices and aromatics. Continue to stir to mix and heat the beans through for a few minutes. Pour in the broth and season with Creole seasoning, salt and pepper to taste and then bring the whole thing to a boil. Reduce heat to a rolling simmer and then simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes.
  4. 4
    Add the chopped greens, bacon and sausage to the pot and connate to cook uncovered for another hour to 90 minutes. Continue to add water to keep the mixture from drying out. You want it to be saucy, but not dry. Continue to cook for a little longer as necessary.
  5. 5
    Season with more Creole seasoning or tabasco as necessary. Serve over rice with cornbread and Happy New Year!
Read it online: https://thestonesoupcook.com/recipe/black-eyed-peas-or-hoppin-john/

Thank you for visiting my site!  I hope you love the recipe!