Hoppin’ John
Serves 10
Adapted from African Bites
¾ pound dried black eyed peas
4-5 slices of bacon, thinly cut into strips, crosswise
1 smoked sausage, diced or ground up
1 large onion, diced
½ bell pepper, diced
1-2 stalks celery, split in half, lengthwise, and diced, crosswise
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ jalapeno, minced; or replace with ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, minced
1 bay leaf
2-3 teaspoons creole seasoning
4-8 cups of chicken broth or water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Rice, for serving
Green onions, sliced, for garnish
Add the dried black eyed peas to a strainer and rinse the beans. Pick through and discard any foreign objects. Add the beans to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. The water should be about 2-3 inches above the beans. Let the beans sit, covered, for 2-3 hours. Your beans will have expanded by the time you’re done. Drain away the water.
With about 20 minutes left before you drain off the water from the beans, heat a large Dutch oven, or another thick-walled cooking pot,over medium heat. Once hot, add in the chopped bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pot and saute until sausage begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the bacon and sausage and set aside.
Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic, jalapenos, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and saute until the onions start to become glassy, about 3-4 minutes. Add 4 cups of chicken broth or water to the pot and mix everything together well.
Add the drained black eyed peas to the pot. Mix in the creole seasoning and salt and pepper, to taste. Combine everything well.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduced the heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.
Add in the bacon and sausage bits to the pot and give everything a good mix. Cook until the beans are tender and the mixture has thickened, to your desire.
Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preferences. Remember, this is a dish that usually tastes better the longer everything has had time to blend really well together. But don’t make the mistake of leaving the pot to simmer for hours because then you’ll get mushy beans.
Add more chicken stock or water if the stew becomes dry or thick. The texture of the beans should be thick and somewhat creamy, but not too watery.
Once you’re ready to eat, remove the bay leaf and serve over rice and garnish with green onions.
Enjoy!
