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If you were born and raised in the South like me then you’re familiar with the New Years day tradition of Hoppin’ John and Collard Greens. Hoppin’ John is a stew of field or black-eye peas served with rice. For those not familiar with the tradition, the dish is meant to bring good luck with the peas symbolizing coins and the collardss symbolizing paper money.
Since I’m posting this on January 2nd this dish is technically called,
“Skippin Jenny” and further demonstrates one’s frugality, bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year
To make this dish a little healthier I opted to leave out the bacon or ham hock. To most southern cooks this would be sacrilegious but I was very pleased with the results.
Check out my Amazon Store for the rice cooker and dutch oven I used in this recipe.
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- Saute the onions, garlic, peppers and celery in olive oil
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- Add chicken stock, peas and seasonings and bring to a simmer for 1-2hrs.
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- Hoppin’ John served over white long grain rice
Ingredients
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 small green pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 pound dried black-eyed peas, about 2 cups
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- Scallions or green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a stock pot add the oil, celery, onion, and green pepper and sauté until they begin to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir well and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the black-eyed peas, bay leaf, thyme and Cajun seasoning and cover with chicken stock.
- Cook for 1-2 hours, or longer if needed, until the peas are tender (not mushy).
- While the black-eyed peas are cooking, cook the rice separately according to package instructions.
- When the peas are tender, remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the peas for salt and add more if needed.
- Serve the dish either by placing a ladle-full of black-eyed peas over steamed rice, or by mixing the two together in a large bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve with collard greens, kale, beet or turnip greens.
Recipe Adapted from Simply Recipes
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