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Hoppin’ John will always and forever be a must have in our household on New Years Day.
I’ve been eating Hoppin’ John since I was old enough to eat real food. My dad has been making this every single year for as long as I can remember, so it’s only right for me to continue that tradition with my little growing family as well. We even make it if we are on vacation because it’s just one of those things we do no matter what. I wouldn’t say I’m a supersticious person, but I do, however, whole heartedly believe in eating black eye peas on New Years Day.
This is my dad’s Hoppin’ John Recipe and it just doesn’t get much better. It’s seriously the best of the best. As you may have noticed by now, we are an extra spicy family, so my dad typically makes two batches– one for the spice lovers and one for the wimps. 😉
Start by soaking the beans for 4 hours or overnight. Give them a quick rinse, and then add them to a big stock pot with water, salt, pepper, and a large ham hock. Bring to a boil, and cook until the beans are just slightly soft; ~30-40 minutes. Add water as you go so the beans don’t get stuck to the bottom of the pot.
In a separate sauté pan, heat a little olive oil. Sauté the onion and serrano for 4-6 minutes then add to the pot of beans. If you are making into two batches, separate the beans now so that you can make one batch spicy and one batch mild.
Now add stewed Tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, and red pepper flakes. Test level of salt, and add more if needed. Simmer for 45 minutes-1 hour so that all flavors have a chance to get to know each other.
Now add instant rice and cook until rice is soft.
Serve warm with green onions, cornbread, tabasco, and a whole LOTTA GOOD LUCK!
PrintHoppin’ John
Hoppin’ John is my family’s New Years Day tradition. It has black eyed peas, serrano peppers, rice, tomatoes, mushrooms, and olives; all stewed to amazingness! Serve it on New Years Day for good luck with cornbread and green onions.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb black eyed peas, rinsed and soaked for 4 hours or overnight
- 1 ham hock
- 6–7 c water, more as needed
- 1 tsp salt, more to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 serrano peppers, seeds removed and finely diced (use 1 Serrano for less heat)
- 2–28 oz cans stewed tomatoes
- 6 oz jar of mushrooms, drained
- 4 oz can sliced black olives, drained
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 c instant rice
- Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce, for serving
- 1 bunch of green onions, chopped, for serving
- Cornbread, for serving
Instructions
On the Stove top:
- Start my soaking the beans for 4 hours or overnight. Give them a quick rinse, and then add them to a big stock pot with water, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 large ham hock. Bring to a boil, and cook until the beans are just slightly soft; ~30-40 minutes. Stir frequently and add water as needed so the beans don’t get stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- In a separate sauté pan, heat a little olive oil. Sauté the onion and serrano for 4-6 minutes, until soft, and add to the pot of beans. (If you are making into two batches, separate the beans now so that you can make one batch spicy and one batch mild).
- Remove the ham hock from the pot; discard. *See notes
- Now add stewed tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, and red pepper flakes. Test level of salt, and add more if needed. Simmer for 30 minutes or so. Make sure it doesn’t get too dried out, so add a little chicken broth or water along the way if needed. You always want ~1/2 inch of liquid on top when its not boiling.
- Now add instant rice and cook until rice is soft.
- Serve warm with green onions, cornbread, and tabasco.
Notes:
Some people like to shred the meat of the ham hock and add to the pot of beans, but it’s my personal preference not to use the meat and discard the entire ham hock after it’s added flavor to the beans.
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