I grew up in the north, so I didn’t discover the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day until I met Tim. Although the tradition was known in Virginia where we were living at the time, it wasn’t widely followed. But I gave them a try, and discovered that I LOVE black eyed peas. After years of eating them only on New Year’s Day, I’m going to put this recipe into the regular rotation. Even Thomas, who hates almost all beans, loves this meal. He used to claim he liked it because it was made with peas, not beans. Now he just shrugs and goes back for seconds. It is certainly a very healthy start to a new year. Grandma Leone always called cornbread “Johnny Cake”, which I thought had something to do with her husband “Johnny”. Now I serve Hoppin’ John with Johnny Cake and somehow it reminds me of my grandma. But I remind the boys that their Grandma Carol taught Dad to eat Black Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day, so without her, we wouldn’t follow this southern tradition and we might never have discovered this delicious meal.
Hoppin John
Ingredients
- 3 cans black eyed peas or 2 bags of frozen + salt to taste
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 16 ounces diced ham
- 1 green pepper diced
- 2-3 stalks of celery diced
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- You can either dump all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-12 hours, or combine everything in a stock pot on the stove, bring to a boil, and reduce heat and cook for about an hour.
- Serve over rice, and with a side of cornbread.
- The boys all add a generous splash of hot sauce.
I have used canned black eyed peas in place of the frozen beans but they are often seasoned in the can. I prefer to season myself. Fresh black eyed peas would work as well, but they require an overnight soak. You can increase the veggies in this recipe, and even add diced carrots, to make it even better for you.
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