Black-eyed peas are commonly served for New Years as they are said to bring luck and I hardly need an excuse to eat more beans! Hoppin' John is a southern rice and beans dish that uses black-eyed peas which makes it perfect for New Years cooking. The black-eyed peas are slowly simmered with a ham hock or bacon until the get nice and creamy and they absorb all of that amazing smokey flavour. After the beans are done simmering the meat from the ham hock can be pulled from the bone and shredded to make the Hoppin' John a bit heartier. The recipe for Hoppin' John that I like to use is a slightly modified version of Emeril Lagasse's and it is pretty easy to make though it does require some time to properly bring out all of the flavours. Other than the fat in the meat this dish is pretty healthy and I like to serve it on top of steamed brown rice and to top it with steamed collard greens which are also said to be lucky for the new year.
Happy New Year!
