Hoppin’ John

My next recipe is taken from one of my new cookbooks, and is actually partially prepared in a slow cooker. Most chefs don’t usually use this handy kitchen tool, but for the every day home cook, this contraption is helpful and fun. When celebrity Chef Hugh Acheson released his cookbook The Chef and the Slow Cooker, I promptly put it on my Christmas list, and Santa put it under my tree! My first recipe from this gem is the Hoppin’ John. This is a hearty, delicious dish, enjoyed by me and my family on a cold winter Sunday day. It’s a New Year’s dish, and is supposed to bring luck and wealth in the new year!

What you’ll need:

  • 2 cups dried black eyed peas
  • 1 pound smoked ham hock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups cooked white long grain rice
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 large Vidalia onion, diced
  • 1 poblano chile, seeded and minced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and minced
  • salt
  • pinch of crushed red pepper

Place the black eyed peas in a large bowl and add cold water to cover by 3 inches. Cover the bowl and soak the beans in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

The next day, drain the peas and place them in the slow cooker. Add fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Add the ham hock and the bay leaves and cover. Cook for 6 – 8 hours on low. Then remove and refrigerate the ham hocks. Remove some of the liquid, but leave enough for the black eyed peas to stay moist for now. Set aside.

In the meantime prepare the vegetables and make the white rice. In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp butter and cook the celery and onion for about 5 minutes. Add the poblano pepper and the red pepper and cook for another 15 minutes over low to medium heat. Add dashes of salt and red pepper flakes.

When the ham hock is cool enough to handle, remove the excess fat, skin and bones. Coarsely chop the meat. Add 1 tbsp butter to the rice. Add the peas, vegetable mix and ham to the rice, adding salt to your liking, stir well to combine.

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Bon Appétit!

For more info on Hugh Acheson’s cookbook The Chef and the Slow Cooker click here

Author: Gotham Foodie

Hello there, fellow foodies! My name is Erica, I was born and raised in Germany, and moved to the US, New York City to be exact, in July of 1987. I have worked most of my time here in the Big Apple as a bartender, but my true love is food. I cook just about every day, I search for good food everywhere, and pretty much always find it. I don't consider myself a food critic, I don't have the culinary background for that kind of expertise. I do however know good food, good chefs and good restaurants. I report back about my culinary adventures, and I choose to leave out my unsatisfactory experiences. We have enough negativity in our daily lives, I don't want to add to that. All the recipes in my FROM MY KITCHEN and DOTW blogs are cooked and prepared by me. All pictures are taken by me. I don't always eat everything you see in my pictures, but you bet your buns, I do try everything. Last but not least, you should know that I am a huge Top Chef fan. I have never missed an episode of the Bravo TV show. I have at this point visited almost 20 restaurants run by Top Chef contestants, and I'm continuously impressed by their skill, drive and passion. So I will continue to seek them out, and I hope you join me in my journey!

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