Hoppin' John is a very famous dish in South Carolina. It is a simple black-eyed peas and rice recipe that’s full of flavor.
It is supposed to bring luck and prosperity if you eat them on New Year’s Day, but once you try this dish, you will surely crave for it week after week.
So, let’s start cooking.
Ingredients
1 cup bacon (chopped)
1 cup onion (chopped)
1 cup carrot (chopped)
1 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup tomatoes (chopped)
1 pc. bay leaf
6 figs of fresh thyme
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
7 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 small neck bone
1 tbsp. Igotchu Greens Seasoning
1 tsp. Igotchu All-purpose Seasoning
1 tsp. Igotchu Himalayan Salt Seasoning
1 lb. black-eyed peas (soaked overnight)
1 cup long grain rice
8 oz. collard greens chopped
How to make Hoppin’ John
- In a preheated skillet, sauté bacon, onion, carrot, red bell pepper, tomato, bay leaf, and fresh thyme. Cook them for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then, add in the minced garlic. Stir.
- Next, pour 7 cups of unsalted chicken stock on the skillet – and put 1 small neck bone.
- Season the whole dish with Igotchu seasonings – 1 tbsp. Greens, 1 tsp. All-purpose, and 1 tsp. of Himalayan Salt seasoning. Mix and let it simmer for about an hour or until the neck bone becomes tender.
- Once done, you can add in 1 lb. of black-eyed peas. Make sure that they are soaked overnight and drained properly. Cook the dish again for 1 hour or until the beans are soft.
- Now, put 1 cup of long grain rice and stir it up. You can also add the collard greens while waiting for the rice to cook.
- Turn the heat on medium low, cover the skillet, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Pull out the fresh thyme, as well as the neck bone.
- Remove all the meat on the neck bone and chop them finely. This meat will be our substitute for ham. Put them on the pot and mix. Enjoy.
