How to Make Perfect Hoppin Johns

Hoppin Johns. Check here often to find out who and when. Downtown Elizabeth City is becoming more and more the place to be for music, festivals, exhibits, theater and much more. Traditionally, Hoppin' John is a one-pot recipe, but that often produces soupy results.

Hoppin' John, also known as Carolina peas and rice, is a peas and rice dish served in the Southern United States. It is made with black-eyed peas (or red cowpeas such as iron and clay peas in the Southeast US) and rice, chopped onion, and sliced bacon, seasoned with salt. Some recipes use ham hock, fatback, country sausage, or smoked turkey parts instead of bacon. You can have Hoppin Johns using 13 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Hoppin Johns

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

Hoppin' John is one of those classic Southern dishes that come with as many versions, stories and flavors as there are cooks. At its core, however, Hoppin' John is rice, black-eyed peas (or field peas), smoked pork, and onions. 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.

Hoppin Johns step by step

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!.

All of these are acceptable, of course, but I wanted to keep it basic and unadorned. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Saute pepper, celery and onions in drippings until almost tender. Try the Shrimp & Grits, Hoppin' John or the Chef's Fresh Catch. Premium ground Angus Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries or Beer Battered Catfish Fries.