Hoppin’ John

A traditional dish from “The South” and often served on new year’s day. A traditional recipe would use ham hocks or bacon or some other form of pork for fat and flavor; I wanted something vegetarian so I substituted “liquid smoke” with good results.

Hardware

• Large sauce pot

Ingredients

1	lb		black-eyed peas
			vegetable oil
3	stalks		celery, chopped
1	lg		onion, chopped
1			serrano chili, chopped
1	head		garlic, minced
1	Tblsp		thyme
2	tsp		cumin
1			bay leaf
1	Tblsp		chipotle hot sauce
2	Tblsp		“Liquid Smoke”
			salt
			black pepper
10	cups		water (more if necessary)
1	cup		medium grain white rice, washed briefly

Procedure

1. Pick over the beans, wash them, then put them in a pot full of water and let them soak overnight.


2. Drain the beans.


3. Heat the oil then gently saute the celery, onions, and chile pepper until they’re almost soft and golden; try not to let them get brown.


4. Add the garlic and the spices (but not the bay leaf) and cook for one more minute.


5. Add the beans, bay leaf, hot sauce, liquid smoke, and the water; the beans should be covered by about 1 inch (use more water if necessary); simmer (uncovered) until the beans are just barely tender.


6. Add the rice and stir well; cover and simmer; if necessary, add boiling water.


7. Cook until the rice and the beans are both done.


8. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Notes

Feel free to leave out the chile pepper, or the hot sauce, or both, or to use more of one and less (or none) of the other.

Rating

Difficulty:		Very easy
Time:		3 hours plus time to soak the beans.
Precision:		2

Source

My own foolin’ around.