Hoppin' john (vegetarian)

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
3 cups Blackeyed peas; frozen, (*)
1 tablespoon Peanut oil; plus
Vegetable cooking spray; as needed
1½ cup Chopped yellow onion
1 cup Chopped celery
1 cup Red and green bell peppers; chopped
1 tablespoon Minced garlic
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme leaves
1 Bay leaf
1 cup Long-grain white rice
1½ cup Low sodium vegetable broth; low fat
2 cups Chopped tomato; peeled and seeded
Salt and black pepper
Bottled Louisiana-style hot sauce
¾ cup Chopped green onions; including tops
½ cup Italian parsley; chopped

Directions

Traditional New Year's good luck dish of the American Southern States has 4 ounces of sliced bacon, cut crosswise into ½ wide pieces. (¼" dice if using slab bacon with its rind removed). Brown, crisp, drain on paper toweling. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat and use it to saute onion etc. McNair's touch: white rice cooked in broth; diced red and/or green peppers. The crisp bacon would be crumbled and used as a garnish.

*Degrees of doneness: Cooked Black-eyed peas, canned or homemade, may be used in place of frozen: but canned tend to be fully cooked and too soft.

The beans should be done yet crunchy (about 20 to 30 minutes shy of tender). Frozen peas are ideal for this recipe. They require an additional 20-30 minutes cooking (check package). TIP: Dried BEP's double their volume when cooked.

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high, add oil and onion. Stir to coat onion. When hot enough to saute, add celery and bell peppers. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 mins. Add cooking spray or a little water if necessary to prevent browning.

Stir in the peas, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and just enough water (broth) to cover barely. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, partially covered, until the peas are tender but still hold their shape, 15 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rice (white or brown) in broth. TIP: Brown rice may be cooked in water with a piece of lemon peel (dime-sized).

Stir tomato concasser into peas and simmer uncovered, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, season to taste with salt and generous amount of ground pepper and hot sauce, and heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir in most o the green onion and chopped parsley. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve hot.

Credits: James McNair's Beans and Grains (1997: Chronicle). Tested patHanneman. PER SERVING: 257 cals, 2.7 g fat (8⅕%) MEAT VARIATIONS: If we added 4 ounces ¼" dice lean ham: PER SERVING: 282 cals, 3⅗ g fat (10⅕%). 4 ounces lean bacon, crisped and crumbled: PER SERVING: 333 cals, 5⅘ g fat (14⅒%) Recipe by: James McNair's Beans & Grains (1997) /patH Posted to Digest eat-lf.v097.n323 by KitPATh <phannema@...> on Dec 22, 1997

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