Hoppin' John

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
• 1 Green bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1 Bay leaves
• 2 cans Black-eyed peas, canned no-salt-added, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup Brown rice (dry), dry
• 2 ½ cups Low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bunch Lacinato kale, stemmed and torn
• 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 3 Scallions (green onions), sliced
• ¾ tsp Kosher salt

Method

1. Cook onion, celery and pepper in the oil over medium for 10 minutes — this trio is the backbone, so let it soften properly.
2. Add garlic, smoked paprika, thyme and pepper flakes; 1 minute. The smoked paprika is doing the job a ham hock used to.
3. Add rice, broth, bay leaf and salt. Cover and simmer 30 minutes until the rice is tender.
4. Fold in the black-eyed peas and kale, cover, and cook 6 minutes more until the greens are silky.
5. Off heat: vinegar and scallions. The splash of vinegar at the end is traditional and it is what keeps a pot of beans from tasting flat.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

A dash of hot sauce and a pile of scallions per bowl. In the South this is not a garnish, it is the dish.

🧒 For the kids

Serve theirs before the pepper flakes go in, with the greens on the side.

🌿 From the garden

Kale is still standing in the garden on New Year's Day if you mulched it.

🥡 Leftovers

5 days, and it freezes for 3 months. Better on day two.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.