Hoppin' John

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drmoss_ca
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Hoppin' John

Post by drmoss_ca »

I don't know if the gentleman concerned was the same John who was Long Gone From Bowling Green, but I rather hope so. Maybe he made it to N.O. and started a restaurant that sold beans and rice. This dish is easy and delicious, with a more-ish mild cajun aftertaste that gets you going back to the pan for seconds. This version was made with veggie bacon, but would be better with the real thing, as veggie bacon is simply smoke flavouring and salt, and that's a pretty poor substitute for the proper item. Keeping the mixture overnight for a second go around next day actually improves the flavour, as so often with cooked mixtures. Here's what ya need:

4 rashers bacon, cut small ('lardons' for food snobs)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1/8 - 1/4 tsp powdered garlic (anyone who makes garlic-ginger paste for curries will know what to substitute here!)
2 cups dry black-eyed peas soaked overnight, or 1 can cooked
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme
1 heaped tsp cajun seasoning ( ie ground cumin/coriander/paprika in equal parts)
Hot sauce to taste
1 cup white rice
2 scallions. chopped or a couple TBSP chopped chives for garnish

Now the easy part! Fry the bacon (I use half and half olive oil and butter) then add celery, onion and peppers. When beginning to brown, add garlic, and fry 1-2 minutes more. Add soaked black eyed peas, bay leaves, thyme, cajun seasoning and 4 cups water. Cover and cook till peas soft, which takes around 1½ hours. If using canned black eyed peas, drain them, add to the fried ingredients along with bay leaves, thyme, cajun seasoning and NO water. Just heat them through if going the canned way. The dish should have just a little heat. I don't know about your fridge, but I have a shelf of hot sauces. I chose Louisiana Joe's Sauce for this. It has a green and fruity taste, rather like fermented raisins or muscatelle grapes and isn't very hot at all. I used a couple of teaspoons. For those who prefer fiery, destructive heat, use a few drops of your favourite sauce, but don't go wild. This should be beans, peppers, celery, thyme, cajun on rice. Not a challenge to see if you can eat it without fainting.
Cook the rice, serve mixture on top and garnish with scallions or chives.

Next day: get leftovers out of fridge and place on low heat. Add some more green and red pepper, and 2-3 handfuls fresh spinach. Maybe ½ tsp of the cajun seasoning mixture and a few splashes of your hot sauce. I threw in a few leftover okara balls too and they cooked like dumplings. Serve on rice the same way. Even better than the first night!
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Rufus »

Sounds good , Chris; I’ll give it a try next week.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by brothers »

This is very tempting Chris. Thanks for sharing. I'll make it for sure in the next few days after I've had a chance to hit the grocery store for a couple of the ingredients. By the way, just so we're on the same page, how much bacon constitutes a rasher? I love bacon, and don't want to use too little of it.
Gary

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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by drmoss_ca »

A rasher would be one of the slices bacon is cut into. If in doubt, use less. You can always add more tomorrow.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by brothers »

Made the recipe this evening. We both agreed it was delicious. I followed the recipe carefully notwithstanding the fact that I also added an undrained can of Rotel Original diced tomatoes with green chilies at the same time as the drained can of blackeyed peas. The ingredients were processed beforehand so all there was to do was follow the written instructions and serve the meal. This made for a great dinner, with some leftovers but not much. It's in the freezer now, awaiting a day very soon at lunchtime. This one's in my recipe folder for future use. Again, thanks Chris!
Gary

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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by drmoss_ca »

Glad you enjoyed it, Gary!
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Rufus »

I made Hoppin John for dinner last night. By mistake I used black beans instead of black eyed peas. My wife and I agreed that it tasted richer with black beans. Either way, it’s still an excellent dish.
Bryan
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by fallingwickets »

i made something so similar to this on saturday night......they called it jambalaya :shock: :shock: :shock: Only real difference in recipe is sausage and shrimp in lieu of the beans and the addition of chopped tomato

clive

p.s recipe

1 pound sausage like Aidell's chicken-apple sausage for Whole30, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 red bell pepper deseeded and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 green bell pepper deseeded and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 stick celery thinly sliced
1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt The amount will depend on if your Cajun seasoning has salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
2 14.5-oz cans fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
5 cups cauliflower rice
1 pound medium raw shrimp peeled
green onions sliced, for garnish
fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Louisiana hot sauce to serve, optional
INSTRUCTIONS

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive or avocado oil over medium heat. Add sliced sausage and cook until browned on both sides, stirring occasionally. Remove sausage to a plate.
Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery; sauté until softened, about 5-7 minutes over medium heat.
Add Cajun seasoning, starting with 1 1/2 tablespoons, black pepper, salt, and optional cayenne pepper to pot; stir. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, and sausage to pot, and stir to mix.
Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low; simmer for 25-35 minutes or until thickened and liquid is reduced.
Stir in shrimp and cauliflower rice. Cook on low, stirring regularly until rice is heated through and shrimp turn pink and no longer translucent. Don't overcook the shrimp. Ladle into bowls and top with sliced green onions and parsley. Serve with Louisiana hot sauce.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Rufus »

Clive, that sounds very good and I’ll give it a try.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by brothers »

Rufus wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 4:02 pm Clive, that sounds very good and I’ll give it a try.
Same here - thanks Clive.
Gary

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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Sam »

Jambalaya, yes!

and crawfish etoufee
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by brothers »

Sam wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:26 am Jambalaya, yes!

and crawfish etoufee
And I'll have the softshell crab and a large side of gumbo please!
Gary

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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Rufus »

Gary & Sam, you’re making me hungry and bringing back fond memories of my years in Houston, TX. There is a seafood eatery just inside the West Loop (610) called Captain Benny’s I’d frequent every week. They served up the best gumbo, whole, deep fried catfish, boiled shrimp and fresh oysters on the half shell; unfortunately, though, they didn’t serve mud bugs/crawdads/crawfish at the time.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Sam »

Bryan. Gotta have mud bugs.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by brothers »

When I get the chance, which isn't nearly often enough, in the great state of Louisiana I always try to find a big ol' plate of crawfish etoufee.
And yes, some's better'n others! Gotta check 'em all out. Tabasco is mandatory.
Gary

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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Rufus »

brothers wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:03 pm When I get the chance, which isn't nearly often enough, in the great state of Louisiana I always try to find a big ol' plate of crawfish etoufee.
And yes, some's better'n others! Gotta check 'em all out. Tabasco is mandatory.
One of my favourite eateries in New Orleans is Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar in the French Quarter. Great crawfish etoufee. Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter is also well worth a visit.
Last edited by Rufus on Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Rufus »

Sam wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:35 am Bryan. Gotta have mud bugs.
Gotta have mud bugs. I like to suck the heads for their rich flavour.
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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by brothers »

Rufus wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:49 pm
brothers wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:03 pm When I get the chance, which isn't nearly often enough, in the great state of Louisiana I always try to find a big ol' plate of crawfish etoufee.
And yes, some's better'n others! Gotta check 'em all out. Tabasco is mandatory.
One of my favourite eateries in New Orleans is Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar in the French Quarter. Great crawfish etoufee. Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter is also well worth a visit.
I will definitely save these two and make a point to pay them a visit. Thanks Bryan!
Gary

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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Gene »

brothers wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:03 pm When I get the chance, which isn't nearly often enough, in the great state of Louisiana I always try to find a big ol' plate of crawfish etoufee.
And yes, some's better'n others! Gotta check 'em all out. Tabasco is mandatory.
My favorite place in New Orleans is Bon Ton Cafe. They do great crawfish, to be sure, but my favorite is their bread pudding. It comes essentially afloat in a lovely bourbon/butter sauce that is amazing! Been in the same location, just off the Quarter, since the 1930's.
Gene

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Re: Hoppin' John

Post by Sam »

I had never had oysters before , And while I was dating her, my wife took me on a trip to New Orleans. We were walking down the street and Acme oyster house was on the left and had a little bit of a line and Felix‘s was on the right and was old school and not as crowded. We decided on Felix‘s and for some reason I wanted to try oysters Rockefeller and love them. On a second trip, we sat at the counter and we’re talking to a nice lady and she went to the bathroom and I just decided to pay her tab

I think there’s another place called Drago’s were people say the oysters are pretty good
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