Here's a basic recipe for black-eyed peas and rice, also known as hoppin' John. Thanks to Judith C. for sharing this recipe and tips for making Hoppin' John.
Ingredients:
- ham bone or salt pork
- water
- 1 cup dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
A few notes on black-eyed peas: They have many names, but were originally called "cowpeas", being used as cattle feed. They were brought to the West Indies from Africa, and by the 1700's were growing prolifically in Georgia. The black-eyed pea is not a pea, but a legume.
Most recipes for Hoppin' John call for the rice to be added to the peas for cooking, but if they are both cooked separately, as red beans and rice are, both will retain their individual flavors better. Of course, this is a matter of taste!
This is an old recipe for Hoppin' John, referred to as Carolina Hoppin' John.
"Cover ham bone, hog jowl, or hunk of salt pork with water and cook for 2 hours. Add 1 cup dried black-eyed peas which have been washed and soaked overnight. Cook until almost tender. Remove meat and add 1 cup washed raw rice with salt and pepper. Boil until rice is tender and liquid has evaporated."
We cook Hoppin' John a little differently today, but as old recipes evolve, they don't really change all that much!
Judy
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