Hoppin John
2013 is here and it’s time for one of my favorite foodie traditions, Hoppin’ John on New Years Day! Hoppin’ John is a dish that’s from the southern United States and is made of black eyed peas, pork and greens. There’s hundreds of variations and ways to serve but I usually make mine with bacon and collard greens. Being that I’ve been eating vegan, lately, I decided to try a tofu bacon that was actually pretty good. Eating Hoppin’ John on New Years Day is thought to bring good luck in the new year with the peas being symbolic of coins and greens signifying wealth as they are the color of money. Cornbread is also served to signify wealth as being the color of gold.
Sometimes, we have our Hoppin’ John as soup, sometimes we ladle it over rice and sometimes we serve over cornbread. This year, we got so excited and started eating so fast that I forgot to take pictures of the finished product so I thought I would share with you the steps of prepping the base I make.
Wash and dry the collard greens
Rinse black eyed peas and drain
Strip out the rib of the collard leaf
Stack collard leaves
Roll together like a cigar
Chiffonade or Slice into ribbons
The base that I make is very easy. Saute pork (or tofu bacon) in a bit of oil along with onion, garlic and celery. Toss in collards and briefly saute. Pour in dry black eyed peas that have been rinsed. Cover with veggie broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer about 2-3 hours. The longer it simmers, the thicker it gets. Add rice to make soup or ladle the base mixture over rice for a traditional version.
I always serve with cornbread but sometimes I just pour the base over the cornbread. Either rendition is spectacular!
On New Years Eve, the hubs and I had some great snacks while we rang in the new year – Whole Wheat Crostini with olive tapenade and sun-dried tomatoes …
Hummus and crackers …
And plenty of sparkling cider
Happy New Year 2013 … Hope you had some good eats :-)
Next year I am going to try this dish. Looks perfect. I make skip collard greens and use spinach.
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Swathi recently posted … Black Eyed Peas Fritters/ Akara/Accara
I hope you like it …. Happy New Year, Swathi :-)
I make Hoppin’ John in the crockpot. I also used canned black eye peas and precut and prewashed collard greens. And to make it healthy, I use turkey sausage instead of ham hocks. It’s a bit “cheaty” but the finished product (served over brown rice) is super healthy and very tasty. (Search on my blog for the recipe if you’re interested.)
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Anne-Marie recently posted … Crock Pot Shredded Pork with Sherry-Orange Dijon Sauce #hollandhousecw
It does sound good, Anne-Marie … heading over to check it out :-)
Happy New Year my friend! Gotta love those traditions! Looks good!
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mjskit recently posted … Skippin’ Jenny (aka Hoppin’ John, Black-eyed peas)
I love food traditions, MJ – Kinda keeps me connected to family and people :-)
What a fun tradition – I love hoppin’ john. Truthfully, I love anything with collard greens. And, I am loving that sassy nail polish!! Happy New Year CJ! :)
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Alyssa (Everyday Maven) recently posted … Chickpea Stew with Bulgur + Za’atar
Thx, Alyssa – Didn’t feel sassy until you mentioned it … Now, I do :-)
Never heard of Hoppin’ John. Sounds delish, though.
And I love your yellow nail polish, C.J.!
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Kim recently posted … Browned Butter Banana Muffins
Thank you, Kim – If you like black eyed peas then this should really go on your to do list :-)