Hoppin' John

Recipe by Chef BJ Dennis

Rich in flavor and history, Hoppin' John is a delicious Lowcountry Gullah Geechie New Years tradition. The dish has its roots in West Africa and has been a Southern ritual bringing luck for the new year since antebellum days. Hoppin' John in modern times as suffered the fate of industrialized farming. The ingredients that made it really shine had all but died out until not long ago. Bland white rice has taken the place of Carolina Gold Rice and black eyed peas have replaced the much more flavorful Sea Island Red Peas leaving a sad representation of its flavorful ancestor. Luckily the dish and the original ingredients have been rescued by farmers like Greg Johnsman of Marsh Hen Mill and chefs like BJ Dennis.

Chef BJ Dennis is a Gullah Geechie ambassador to South Carolina Lowcountry cuisine and nobody could tell you about this dish better than he can. We've simply added a bit of extra instruction for clarification to his original recipe.

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PREPARING THE RICE

The  difference between fluffy and mushy rice is rinsing. Carolina Gold Rice is a minimally processed heritage grain rice and must be rinsed until the water runs clear. This will take at least 4-5 rinses but maybe more. To do this we put the rice in a large bowl in the sink, add water and swirl it around with our hands, then we use a mesh strainer to drain out the water, put the rice back in the bowl and do it again until the water is clear after we swirl it around with our hands.

WATCH THE POT NOT THE CLOCK

The first time I made this recipe the rice were overcooked before the peas got tender. The melding of flavors in this one pot dish has made it a favorite for generations, but getting both rice and peas to cook to perfection without overcooking is more of a challenge than one would think. I adjusted the times and instruction in the recipe for the ingredients from Marsh Hen Mill, which are quite fresh and cook quickly. If you are using other ingredients, or perhaps ingredients on hand in the pantry the times will vary. Even these same ingredients from the same farm will vary from harvest to harvest based on weather conditions. The key is to cook the peas to almost done before putting in the rice. If the beans get a tad overcooked they will just be more creamy and wonderful in the pot. If you have to wait for the peas to get soft and the rice overcooks though, it's not nearly as forgiving. I recommend watching the pot rather than the clock on this dish. Taste early and taste often.

HOPPIN' JOHN

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Category

Main Dish

Cuisine

Southern

Servings

4-6

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour 5 minutes

Rich in flavor and history, Hoppin' John is a delicious Lowcountry Gullah Geechie New Years tradition. The dish has its roots in West Africa and has been a Southern ritual bringing luck for the new year since antebellum days. Hoppin' John in modern times as suffered the fate of industrialized farming. The ingredients that made it really shine had all but died out until not long ago. Bland white rice has taken the place of Carolina Gold Rice and black eyed peas have replaced the much more flavorful Sea Island Red Peas leaving a sad representation of its flavorful ancestor. Luckily the dish and the original ingredients have been rescued by farmers like Greg Johnsman of Marsh Hen Mill and chefs like BJ Dennis.

Author:

Lisa Riznikove

Ingredients

• 1 ham hock

• ½ onion, diced

• ½ green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 - 1 ½ cups Sea Island Red Peas (or substitute with black-eyed peas)

• 2 cups Carolina Gold rice (or substitute with long-grain white rice)
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• 2 teaspoons of pepper vinegar (make this yourself by infusing vinegar with hot peppers and chopping fine. It sort of looks like chow chow when done. We used Hot Vinegar from American Vinegar Works, which isn't the same but works in a pinch to add acid and complexity.)
• Pinch of: - Salt - Onion powder - Garlic powder - Paprika - Cayenne Pepper - Seasoning Salt - Garlic Salt

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Directions

1. Let ham hock boil for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Dice onion, bell pepper and garlic–set aside. Add red peas once ham hock is tender. Stir occasionally. Next, add onion, bell pepper, garlic and pepper vinegar. Mix ingredients.

2. Add dry spices (salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, seasoning salt and garlic salt). Add water as needed for peas (enough to cover ingredients in dish) and cover dish with lid. Cook until the peas are tender (about 20-30 minutes).

3. Rinse the rice until water runs clear. *Do not skip this step! It will take at least 4-6 rinses. Add rice to dish and cover in water. Mix ingredients and let cook for 15-30 minutes until the rice is tender.  Why such a large time range? Depends on the freshness of the rice. I've had packages of rice from Marsh Hen Mill so fresh they cook up in under 15 minutes, so check early and check often.

Recipe Note

Every recipe here was developed and tested using farm-fresh beans from Foodocracy and Primary Beans. Older beans, anything past a year in your pantry, or beans from other sources may need more coaxing. Give them a soak and add extra cooking time, and they'll get there eventually.