How to Prepare Yummy Hoppin Johns

Hoppin Johns. This flavorsome dish from the American South combines black-eyed peas, onion, ham hock and long-grain rice in a satisfying, simmered pilaf. A sprinkling of smoked Cheddar cheese melts lusciously over the top. John is best known for his southern culinary expertise and his stone-ground grits and cornmeal.

We use thick-cut bacon to get the perfect amount of smokiness, as opposed to a ham hock. A ham hock can, at times, overpower the dish. Traditionally, Hoppin' John is a one-pot recipe, but that often produces soupy results. You can cook Hoppin Johns using 13 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Hoppin Johns

1. You need 1 lb of black eyed peas, dry.
2. Prepare 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
3. You need 1/2 of medium yellow onion, chopped.
4. You need 3 of celery stalks, chopped.
5. Prepare 2 cloves of garlic, minced.
6. It's 2 of bay leaves.
7. Prepare 1 tsp of chili powder.
8. You need 1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves.
9. It's 8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth.
10. It's 1 of large smoked ham hock.
11. Prepare to taste of kosher salt and black pepper,.
12. It's 3 cups of white rice, steamed.
13. It's of green onion, chopped, for garnish.

Instead, cook the black-eyed peas with aromatics and broth until tender; then strain and. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Saute pepper, celery and onions in drippings until almost tender.

Hoppin Johns instructions

1. Pour the black eyed peas onto a rimmed baking sheet and shake to distribute them into a single layer. Search through and discard any bad peas or stones. Transfer to a strainer, rinse with cool water and set aside..
2. Place a large soup pot over medium heat and warm the olive oil until shimmering. Then add the onion and celery and cook for about 3 minutes until the onions and celery soften a bit..
3. Next,add garlic and stir in the bay leaves, chili powder and thyme leaves and allow the spices to toast for about 1 minute..
4. Pour in the chicken broth then add the ham hock and give it a stir. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Allow stock to simmer for 30 minutes..
5. After simmering, stir in the black eyed peas and return to a boil, then reduce heat again to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 1–1 ½ hours or until the black eyed peas are creamy and tender. Once the peas are tender, remove the ham hock from the pot and separate the meat from the bone. Cut away the fat and gristle, chop the meat and add back to the pot..
6. Test the soup and season to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper..
7. Serve over steamed white rice and garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!.

This historical dish is believed to pass on good luck and peace to anyone that indulges in it during New Years. The thought sounds lovely, however the history doesn't quite align. Hoppin' John is a basic, simple black-eyed pea stew. I kept it extremely pared down, and when I made it yesterday I had a hard time not adding bright red bell pepper, big pieces of torn kale, and canned diced tomatoes. All of these are acceptable, of course, but I wanted to keep it basic and unadorned.