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Hoppin' John
There are a lot of superstitions about actions we can take on New Years Day to bring us good luck for the year. With this Tuesday being New Years Day, I thought I would write about how I make Hoppin’ John since that is one of the southern food traditions.
The first item for Hoppin’ John is the black-eyed peas. I usually get a 14 oz to 16 oz can and doctor things up from there but this year, I was at the local Winn-Dixie getting some fixings for some chili when I remembered the need for the black-eyed peas. I noticed a can with the label of “Hoppin’ John” and just went with that. The label says it includes black-eyed peas, tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos so it is an interesting start but I will be adding and embellishing things to my taste.
The first extra I will be adding is some country ham scraps which I will be browning in my either my #2 or #6 iron skillets. Most years, I do not have the country ham scraps though so I just chop up a slice or two of bacon. I will also be adding in some more chopped onion, some chopped green bell pepper, and probably a 1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic (at least.) There is nothing real unusual about this though as I tend to add bacon or ham scraps, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic to things like baked beans and black-eyed peas whenever I make them. I might add a bit more hot sauce as well as some other spices (paprika most likely) but that will be an on the fly decision.
Just mix everything together in a sturdy sauce pan, cover, then on the stove top low and slow until I decide it is ready. I don’t really have any clues as to when it is done but since it will have cooked for a good hour or two at a minimum, it gives everything a chance to integrate.
Once I decide things have cooked long enough, I will make some rice. Right now, I have at least 4 different types of rice in the pantry so I have no idea which one I will make – probably the one that requires the least effort. After the rice has cooked, I will just ladle the black-eyed peas over it and mix together and voila! there’s the Hoppin’ John complete.
Since I don’t care all that much for cooked greens, I will be having a mixed greens salad along with the Hoppin’ John.
Will eating Hoppin’ John and greens on New Years Day bring me good luck? Probably not but it is not a bad meal to have.
And because I can:
Photo from Tavallai licensed under Creative Commons
9 Comments
I learned about Hoppin’ John from a friend, who used the term to mean black eyed peas and rice. I can buy fresh black eyed peas in a bag in the produce section of the Meijer stores, and you can usually buy frozen ones in that section of many larger groceries. I cook them according to package directions, and also cook up some rice, usually brown & wild rice. Then I mix the two together and freeze it in small containers.
I’m sure it’s not authentic, but he said that’s what his ex wife called it. He would open a can of salmon and arrange it on top … so now when I fix fresh salmon I often thaw a container of the Hoppin John and put the salmon and the sauce I saute it in (lemon juice, dill and olive oil) over it.
My family tradition for New Year’s Day is sauerkraut and pork, usually country style spare ribs cooked over the sauerkraut so the juices flavor it, and then the kraut is put on top of mashed potatoes. Sounds weird but is awfully good.
That is the whole essence of what cooking is to me – finding something you like and making the tweaks to make it personal to you.
While I don’t make it on New Years, I have a recipe of my father’s for pork chops, new red potatoes, and sauerkraut where the three items are layered in a dutch oven which is pretty good.
Thanks, dakine01, so glad to be reminded. We have always had black eyed peas, sometimes hoppin’ john, and the reasons for doing that for luck are varied. I like the one I heard first, that it’s to fool Baby New Year into thinking you’re poor so he’ll bring you prosperity. Makes no sense, so it’s as good as any tradition to me. Since I do love all field peas, this works fine.
1/4 t of garlic?
Sir, you must be mad. simply mad. anything less than a tablespoon is a crime. :-)
Well, it is the minced garlic from the jar and I scoop it out so a bit more than a 1/4 teaspoon is the result. I have to be a bit careful though for as much as I love garlic, it doesn’t always love me back…
Good morning dakine01. Sauerkraut and Pork would be the tradition for my family. I am excluded from that of course for various reasons and I know you’ll all say I don’t know what I’m missing. Well, Yes. I. Do. Enjoy the day and don’t mind me.
When I was at the grocery earlier today I looked, and they had fresh black-eyed peas in their usual spot (the top shelf of a refrigerated case near the produce, along with fresh limas and fresh peas), and the black-eyed peas were labeled with a “good luck peas” sticker. And they were on sale. I have a couple of containers of the rice and peas mixture still in the freezer, so I didn’t buy more.