This is a Southern classic done California style. Hoppin’ John actually has a rich history, which one legend says started in 1841 when a crippled black man known as Hoppin’ John sold the dish on the streets of Charleston. The dish has African/French/Caribbean roots and eating it on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring a prosperous year filled with good luck.
The Hoppin’ John ingredients symbolize different things. For instance, the tomatoes will help to bring good health while the peas symbolize coins. The greens are supposed to add wealth to the new year. And when eaten with cornbread, which is the Southern tradition, this is supposed to further symbolize wealth.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 90 minutes |
| Servings | people |
- 1/2 cup long grain brown rice May use any type of rice.
- 1 cup dried black-eyed peas
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 can diced green chiles (7 oz.)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup kale or spinach
- 1 package chicken sausage (12 oz.) we like Italian style
- 2 jalapeno chiles stemmed, seeded, and halved (optional)
Ingredients
| |
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
- While the rice is cooking, bring 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat in a large pan. Add peas; reduce the heat, and simmer until tender (about 50 minutes)
- Drain and rinse the peas and combine with the prepared rice.
- Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and dice the chicken sausage
- Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender. (About 3 minutes)
- Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Continue stirring to keep garlic from burning.
- Add cumin and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
- Add tomatoes, chiles, kale, chicken sausage, and chicken broth. Also add the jalapeños if you are using them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove and discard the jalapeños. Add rice and peas and heat through.
You can prepare the peas in advance and either refrigerate up to a day or set aside for use later the same day. By preparing the rice separately, it reduces the starchiness of the soup. You may use your favorite type of rice and the correct amount of liquid to prepare according to package instructions and store with the peas. The jalapeños are optional, but will add a little bit of spice to the soup. Just be sure to remove them at the end!