| CATEGORY |
CUISINE |
TAG |
YIELD |
| Meats, Dairy |
|
Holiday, Southern |
6 |
Servings |
INGREDIENTS
| 1/8 |
lb |
Streaky bacon or salt pork*; cut into small cubes |
| 1/3 |
c |
Diced carrot |
| 1/2 |
c |
Celery; finely chopped |
| 2/3 |
c |
Onion; finely chopped |
| 10 |
oz |
Fresh or frozen black-eyed peas |
| 1 |
|
Clove garlic; whole |
| 2 3/4 |
c |
Water; (approximately) |
| 6 |
|
Sprigs fresh thyme |
| 1 |
|
Bay leaf |
|
|
Salt to taste; optional |
| 1/4 |
ts |
Dried hot red pepper flakes |
| 1 |
c |
Rice |
| 2 |
tb |
Butter |
| 1 |
|
Ripe tomato; cored |
| 1/4 |
lb |
Sharp cheddar cheese; finely grated |
|
c |
Scallion (including green part); finely chopped |
INSTRUCTIONS
GARNISHES
* (about 1/2 cup)
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. Remove 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
minutes. 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. Spoon 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.
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.
Recipe by: Craig Claiborne's Southern Cooking, 1987, p. 187
Posted to recipelu-digest Volume 01 Number 422 by Lou Parris
<lbparris@earthlink.net> on Dec 30, 1997
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