Hopped Up Hoppin’ John

Dreading the thought of another New Year’s Day meal of bland black eyed peas and boiled beyond recognition collards. Fear not, there is hope with Whole Foods Luke’s Hopped Up Hoppin’ John and Dave’s Yankee Greens from last winter.

Ingredients

I’ve listed the ingredients in the order of addition. The evening before preparation, measure out the black eyed peas, check them for foreign matter, and put them on to soak.

Serrano pepper’s are hotter than Charlotte in August so handle them with gloves and wash up the cutting board and tools in hot soapy water.

1. bacon, diced , 6-8 slices
2. chorizo sausage, 1
3. yellow onion, 1 cup diced small
4. celery, 1 cup diced small
5. red bell pepper, 1 cup diced small
6. Serrano pepper deseeded and minced, 1/2
7. garlic, 3 cloves minced
8. cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp
9. bay leaf, 1
10. fresh thyme, 4 spring pulled 
11. chili power, 1 tsp
12. black eyed peas, 1 1/2 cups
13. rice, 1 cup
14. beef stock, 6 cups

Method

I like to do my bacon in a 350 oven so I’ll dice it up and get it going while I dice the vegetables.

Luke’s method follows.

1. Dice the veggies up, Serrano pepper last and queue up at the stove
2. Peel the chorizo sausage and mash it flat with a potato masher or similar tool (board knife, big cleaver, etc).
3. Dice up the bacon
4. Fry bacon in dutch oven
5. Remove bacon and set aside
6. Gently brown the chorizo in the bacon fat.
7. Add vegetables and spices and cook through — onions translucent. Additional oil is not indicated. If roasting bacon and sausage, move to the stove top at this point.
8. Drain soaking black eyed peas
9. Add stock, black eyed peas, bacon and simmer for 20 minutes
10. Add rice and simmer 25 minutes until rice and beans are tender