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Hoppin' John (Craig Claiborne)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Hoppin' John (Craig Claiborne)
Recipe By : Craig Claiborne's Southern Cooking, 1987, p. 187
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Holiday Southern
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/8 pound streaky bacon or salt pork -- cut into small
cubes
(about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup celery -- finely chopped
2/3 cup onion -- finely chopped
10 ounces fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
1 clove garlic -- whole
2 3/4 cups water (approximately)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
salt to tase -- optional
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 cup rice
2 tablespoons butter
GARNISHES
1 ripe tomato -- cored
1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese -- finely grated
cup scallion (including green part) -- finely
chopped
Put the bacon or salt pork in a saucepan and cook, stirring often, until
all the cubes are crisp. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook,
stirring, about 1 minute. Add the peas, garlic, about 1-1/4 cup water,
or to barely cover, thyme, bay leaf, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring
to the boil and let simmer, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes, until tender
but not mushy. Romove from heat. Put the rice in a saucepan and add
1-1/2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to the boil and let simmer,
covered 17 miutes. Stir in the butter. (Or, cook the rice as you
normally would). Cut the unpeeled tomato into 1/4-inch cubes; there
should be about 1 cup. Arrange the hot rice in the center of a
platter. Spon the hot pea mixture, including liquid over the rice.
Scatter the cheese over the peas. Place tomato cubes around the rice.
Scatter the scallions over the tomatoes. Serve immediately.
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NOTES : From the book: Black-eye or black-eyed peas seem to figure
ubiquitously on Southern tables, and Yankee visitors seem to look at
them askance. They are not necessarily country fare, as many people
claim them to be. They appear on the table of rich and poor, the
educated and the uneducated alike, and are eaten with equal enthusiasm.
They are the basis of a dish known as Hoppin' John, the origin of which
name no one seems to be able to explain. The dish is....one of the most
traditional of Southern dishes. It is served in many Southern homes on
New Year's Day to bring all those assembled good luck throughout the
year. This is a modernized version demonstrated for me by Bill Neal, a
fine young North Carolina chef.
Lou Parris
12/96
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