Hoppin’ John is a dish of beans and vegetables that originated in the southern US. Most commonly made with black-eyed peas and a ham hock, it’s served on New Year’s Day for good luck into the new year.
I made a vegetarian version, using an overlap of mirepoix (onion, carrot and celery) and the Holy Trinity of southern cooking (onion, celery and peppers), along with garlic, thyme and a bit of cayenne pepper. We served it for dinner along with a pot of white rice
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Serves four as a side dish or six to eight as a tasting.
Ingredients
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1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained
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1 tbsp olive oil
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1 tbsp butter
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1 medium carrot, diced
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1 stalk celery, diced
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1/4 medium onion, diced
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1/4 green bell pepper, diced
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1/4 red bell pepper, diced
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1 clove garlic, minced
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1 tbsp tomato paste
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1/4 tsp dried thyme
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1/4 tsp salt
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1/4 tsp pepper
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1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
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1 bay leaf
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1 cup water
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1 stock cube
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Rice for serving
Method
In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, onion, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. Add peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add black-eyed peas, cayenne pepper, water, stock cube, tomato paste and bay leaf. Raise heat to simmer, reduce heat and cook uncovered about 30-40 minutes until sauce has thickened and all vegetables are tender.
Serve over rice.