Hoppin John – and Nothin’ Else Hoppin!

Alas, my household has fallen victim to the a winter cold.  I don’t know if it’s because we weren’t sturdy enough to play out in the massive snow or if it was just our time, but all three of us have been fighting it the last few days.  I have never been so happy to see a three day weekend!  The unfortunate part is that we weren’t able to celebrate New Year’s Eve much. 

They say that whatever you do on New Year’s Day you’ll be doing all year long.  Fortunately I did wake up feeling better today and was able to do quite a bit of knitting.  Lynne’ also felt better and spent most of the day out with friends.  Unfortunately, poor hub Keith seems to have the worst of all and hasn’t quite bounced back.  So while he rested on the sofa watching movies I cheerfully watched with him, all the while knitting away.

I’m probably the last person on the planet to have seen Julie and Julia, but we did see it today and I enjoyed it.  We’ve had it here from Netflix for a bit, but Keith was never really interested in seeing it.  Today he decided to lay down on the sofa and nap, so I said I would pop the movie in and watch and knit.  What we didn’t realize is that this movie also shows some of Julia Childs’ life, so Keith ended up more interested than he first thought.  He especially was always a fan of her show, so he enjoyed the movie more than he thought he would.

And like any good southern wife I made sure to have our black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day so that we would have good luck all the year long.  Keith and the kids don’t like them, so I’ve argued every year trying to get them to eat at least a few spoonfuls.  This year I went for something a little more exciting – I turned the black-eyed peas into Hoppin John ala Emeril.  MUCH better and that will be our new tradition.  Recipe follows, along with the changes I made.

And a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!

HOPPIN JOHN
adapted from Emeril

1 T olive oil
1 large ham hock (I used 16 oz pkg of diced ham)
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 T chopped garlic
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart chicken stock
bay leaf
1 t thyme
salt, black pepper and cayenne
3 cups steamed white rice

Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock or ham pieces and saute for about 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes or until the peas are creamy and tender, stirring occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Serve over rice.

 

Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.
~Martin Luther