Hoppin’ John
Variety is the spice of life, right? Well, if that’s the case, then this variety of Hoppin’ John fits the bill. I’d never worked with fresh black eyed peas before, and I loved the creamy texture they brought to the broth! But if you can’t find fresh, canned will work well, too. Add greens if you have them, or keep it simple and just serve it over rice. Either way, the good luck will follow you for days (and week, and maybe the whole year!) to come!
Servings Prep Time
8people 20minutes
Cook Time
3hours
Servings Prep Time
8people 20minutes
Cook Time
3hours
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Heat large dutch oven over medium heat. Swirl olive oil in hot pan.
  2. Add celery, onion and carrots to dutch oven. Saute until beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir until garlic becomes fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in broth, and add smoked pork shoulder bone.
  4. Add Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Chili Pepper. Stir to incorporate.
  5. Cover and simmer mixture for 2.5 hours, or until liquid reduces by about half.
  6. Add fresh black eyed peas to mixture.
  7. Mix to incorporate peas into the pot. Cover and cook an additional 20-30 minutes or until peas are cooked through and tender.
  8. Serve immediately as a side dish, or over rice as a main course.
Recipe Notes

A few notes for this recipe:

  1. If you don’t have a smoked pork shoulder bone, or leftover pork lying around in your refrigerator or freezer, have no fear!  You can simply use a smoked ham hock or bone, and diced smoked ham or bacon in its place.
  2. If you can’t find fresh black eyed peas, you can certainly use canned beans that are well drained and rinsed.
  3. Want a variation on the peas?  Try using great northern beans in their place.  They create a similar creamy texture in the Hoppin’ John, and have a very similar flavor as well.

Happy New Week to you!