Hoppin John

Hoppin John is a recipe using black eyed peas and rice and is traditionally prepared in parts of the south (USA) on New Years Day. It is said that as a meal or side dish it brings luck and wealth. The traditional dish is also usually served with collard greens and cornbread. This "good luck" tradition apparently dates back to the American Civil War. Northern troops would often strip the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock and destroy whatever they couldn't carry away. At that time, these northern soldiers considered cow peas as "field peas," only suitable for animal feed and as a result, didn't steal or destroy black-eyed peas. This meant that the Southerners had something left to eat - lucky for them.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  lb bulk pork sausage
• 1  cup onion, chopped
• 1  cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1  cup celery, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1  cup converted rice
• 1  tablespoon garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  bay leaf
• 2 (14 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

Directions

1. Saute the sausage, onion, green pepper and celery in a large pot over medium-high heat
2. Drain the mixture and then put it back into the pot.
3. Add the chicken broth, rice, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and bay leaf
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes
5. Add the black-eyed peas to the pot and simmer an additional 7-10 minutes (until liquid is absorbed into the rice).
6. If you'd like to "go Southern" all the way, serve this dish with some collard greens. Simply saute some onion and bacon together, then add the greens and some water and cook for several hours. And don't forget the cornbread.