Hoppin’ John Recipe

[Photographs: Jillian Atkinson]

There are loads of stories behind Hoppin’ John, and doubtless much more variations of the recipe. I grew up within the Deep South, the place Hoppin’ John—a dish made with rice and peas—was all the time served on New Yr’s Day alongside our greens and cornbread. But it surely wasn’t relegated to only that at some point of the 12 months.

Whereas Hoppin’ John was meant to convey prosperity and good luck for the New Yr, one-pot rice dishes made with absolutely anything have been part of the desk regularly, and cowpeas of all types have been all the time in our diets. I didn’t discover out till I obtained a lot older that cowpeas aren’t acquainted to most individuals exterior of the Deep South. It additionally wasn’t till I obtained older that I noticed the Hoppin’ John I grew up consuming and what different folks name Hoppin’ John are vastly completely different.

Not solely had I by no means had the dish made with the black-eyed peas many use, however I’d by no means had it not made with the rice, meat, and peas all cooked collectively. Plain boiled rice with peas on high was simply…rice with peas on high, and mixing them in collectively after the very fact simply appeared prefer it defeated the aim of constructing them individually.

I’d additionally observed that we—folks from the Low Nations of Georgia, South Carolina, and different close by areas—made rice that had extra coloration to it as a result of we used area peas to make our Hoppin’ John. Usually known as “Southern peas,” area peas are black-eyed peas’ shut cousins; each are types of cowpeas, although the naming and classification can get complicated since completely different areas use the phrases in another way, and continuously interchangeably.

However to me, they are not all the identical. The brownish purple skins of the sector peas I grew up with present a wonderful virtually ruddy coloration to the rice, and their taste is a bit sweeter and extra nutty than that of black-eyed peas. Cooking all of them along with a flavorful broth comprised of smoked meat and aromatics imparts impactful style into no matter lengthy grain white rice you select to make use of.

It took a while for me to study there was a cause why most individuals now use black-eyed peas as an alternative of area peas. Through the Nice Migration out of the Deep South by Black of us, folks nonetheless carried their traditions, even once they couldn’t carry the substances. Cowpeas of all shapes, sizes, and colours are discovered throughout the nation, however these very particular area peas have been solely discovered within the South. So when the folks moved, they tailored and used a special, though acquainted, substitute within the type of the black-eyed pea.

Over time, I’ve seen different variations, by which folks make the traditional dish their very own approach to match their life-style. Some folks swear by bacon of their Hoppin’ John, and whereas I don’t really feel it’s needed given the smoked meat already in there, you must be happy so as to add some rendered crispy bacon on the finish whilst you fluff the rice, so {that a} little bit of its crunchy texture stays. Or you should use bacon instead of the smoked ham hock known as for within the recipe, or add them each collectively! I didn’t develop up consuming a lot or any pork in any respect, so we used smoked turkey (necks, tails, wings, no matter you would discover) as an alternative of the ham hock or salt pork usually present in recipes, and we would add beef bacon (or no bacon in any respect) as an alternative.

I’ve even seen vegetarian variations performed that don’t embody any smoked meat in any respect, and as an alternative the the grains and legumes get their taste from simmering the peas in vegetable broth.

My recipe begins by gradual cooking the smoked meat in water in order that it falls aside tender and leaves a broth that isn’t solely deep and wealthy, however will make your whole home scent nice. Then I prepare dinner the peas in that very same broth with only some seasonings and spices. The ultimate step is including parboiled rice and cooking the dish within the oven till the rice is fluffy, every grain dry sufficient to maintain all of the substances separate however nonetheless tender.

Even I have not mastered the artwork of constructing Hoppin’ John with the traditional Carolina Gold rice, which must be cooked in another way than your common medium- or long-grain rice you discover within the shops. I’ve discovered parboiled rice is among the greatest choices for fluffy grains which might be tender however nonetheless dry sufficient to not glue collectively.

To that finish, I additionally use the oven for the ultimate stage of cooking. Even after years of follow, I nonetheless cannot reliably do the whole course of on the stovetop, the place my rice generally turns to mush—one thing I’m positive many, many grannies and aunties would shamefully shake their heads at me for. The oven, fortunately, delivers a extra mild warmth that cooks the rice via from all sides with out the chance of scorching or requiring any stirring or overcooking that would launch starch and push the Hoppin’ John within the route of what we name a “lavatory.” It additionally steers the rice away from creating a soupy or risotto-like consistency the place the grains are extra moist and extra liquid is left within the pot.

This recipe feeds six to eight folks simply, and whereas it could possibly be scaled down, it’s a dish often served with family and friends, particularly throughout the holidays. The extra you make (and eat), the extra prosperity you’ll have within the New Yr.