New Year's Dish - Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John From Paul Prudhomme's "Seasoned America".

This is a traditional Southern dish served on New Year's Day to bring good luck in the coming year. It's usually accompanied by a dish of greens, meant to ensure a wealthy year.

Seasoning Mix:
1 T. salt
1 T. paprika
2 1/2 t. black pepper
1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. white pepper
1 t. dried sweet basil leaves

Everything Else:
5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
3 c. chopped onions
2 c. chopped green bell peppers
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
3 bay leaves
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
11 c. chicken stock
1 t. minced fresh garlic
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices (I use 1/2 lb sausage & 1/2 lb cubed ham)
2 c. uncooked converted rice

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Place the bacon in a heavy oven proof 5-quart pot over high heat and cook until the bacon starts to brown, about 6 minutes.

Stir in 2 c. of the onions, 1 c. of bell peppers, 1 c. of the celery, 2 T. plus 1 t. of the seasoning mix, the bay leaves, and half the black-eyed peas. Cover and cook, uncovering the pot once or twice to stir, about ten minutes.

Stir in 2 c. of the chicken stock and the garlic and scrape up any crust that's formed on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Add 2 more c. of stock and scrape the bottom of the pot clean. Add the sausage, 6 more c. of stock, the remaining 1 c. of onion, 1 c. bell peppers, and 1/2 c. celery, the remaining black-eyed peas, and the remaining seasoning mix. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the peas are tender and creamy, about 1 1/4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir the rice and the remaining 2 cups stock into the black-eyed peas, turn up the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and bake 15 minutes.

Yummo! I usually half the recipe. This recipe will feed an army.

We don't count calories on this dish - Sorry!