Hoppin' John

It struck me as I was reading your latest journal entry Miss Etta, that some of our readers might not know what Hoppin' John actually is. Ooops, I ended a sentence in a preposition. My English teacher would not be happy.

You're entry took me back to my younger years. In our family, the coin, usually a dime, went into the black-eyed peas. Did you read some of the traditions from other countries on the Fayette Front Page? I think to be on the safe side I'm going to go buy myself a polka-dot shirt and some red underwear. I already have my true love so I won't be wearing yellow!

And, not to ramble, but did you hear that a bunch of rabble-rousers are going to try and disrupt the Rose Bowl Parade? There is a time and place for everything and that is not the place. I certainly hope that tomorrow they will not show the protesters while I am watching it on television. I do so love a good parade, although it is much more fun to be there. I have never been to the Rose Bowl Parade. Have you?

Well, back to Hoppin' John. Here's a saying about eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day: "Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year. Rice for riches and peas for peace."

Supposedly the Hoppin' John tradition goes back as far as 1841, when, according to tradition, the dish hawked in the streets of Charleston, South Carolina by a crippled black man who was know as Hoppin' John. Another story says that the name came from someone named John who came a hoppin' when his wife called him to dinner. And then there's the one that says it has to do with children hoppin' round the table, which is one it sounds like your family took to heart. Which means in my mind that it's the correct one because I know your family has roots back before 1841.

I have a few recipes so I thought I would share them. Different people make it in different ways. The first one is somewhat more involved than the second. It's just a matter of spices and what you like. After the recipes I've included the lazy way to make it.

Hoppin' John Recipe #1

Ingredients:
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
2 small smoked ham hocks or meaty ham bone
2 medium onions, divided
3 large cloves garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 can (10 to 14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with chili peppers, juices reserved
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 green onions, sliced

In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine the black-eyed peas, ham bone or ham hocks, and 6 cups water. Cut 1 of the onions in half and add it to the pot along with the garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Remove the ham bone or hocks, cut off the meat; dice and set aside. Drain the peas and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaf, onion pieces, and garlic.

Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is almost tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Mince the remaining onion then add to the rice along with the peas, tomatoes, and their juices, red and green bell pepper, celery, jalapeno pepper, Creole seasoning, thyme, cumin, and salt. Cook until the rice is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the sliced green onions and the reserved diced ham. Serve with hot sauce and freshly baked cornbread.

Hoppin' John Recipe #2

2 cups dried black-eyed peas
Cold water
1 pound lean bacon or 1 pound meaty ham hocks
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending how hot you want to make it)
4 cups water or chicken broth (some people use vegetable broth)
2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
Salt and black pepper like you like it

Before preparing dried beans, sort through them thoroughly to get rid of the grit. Soak, rinse, and drain dried black-eyed peas. Place black-eyed peas in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and cover with cold water; bring to a boil. Remove the pot from heat, cover and let it stand for up to 2 hours. Drain and rinse beans.

Using the same large soup pot, over medium-high heat, add soaked black-eyed peas, bacon or ham hock, onion, and red pepper. Add water or chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for up to 2 hours or until the peas are tender (do not let it boil as the beans will burst, they just won't taste or look right).

Remove bacon or ham hock and cut it into bite-size pieces. Return the pieces of meat to pot. Stir in rice, cover, and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

There are some who do not like to cook the rice in the same pot. If you're one of those, then by all means cook it separately and serve it separately, or add the cooked rice right at the last minute.

If you're like most of us you're going to add your own special touch to the Hoppin' John. Some people cook it without all the hot spices and serve it with a hot sauce on the side so everyone can fix it up the way they like it. A side dish of pickle relish is a must for some. If you're going to add a dime like my family does don't cook it in the Hoppin' John, add it at the end. Stir it up good and make sure everyone doesn't go rootin' to find it like I used to do.

For those who are utterly dismal in the kitchen, cheat. Buy some canned, already cooked black eyed peas. If you want to make it all yours, saute some onions and maybe cook some bacon and dump it all in a pan. Add some hot sauce or any of the other spices in the recipes above and put it in a pot. Cook it on the stove or in the microwave. Ta da, quick and easy, lazy Hoppin' John.

Can't go anywhere!

Miss Etta, that reminds me of a vacation story from many years back. My friend and I were in a small town in Florida. We got turned around, made a few wrong turns and got ourselves thoroughly lost.

We decided to turn left on a street that looked like it would take us toward the beach. It didn't.

It curved around, ran parallel to the street we had turned off of and finally gave us no choice but to curve back around to that self-same street.

We stopped at the traffic light and quickly checked out the situation to see which way to turn.

The road was a one-way on the left going to the right. The road across from us which normally would have been an option was also a one-way coming in our direction. The street we were on was a two-way, we doubled checked.

That normally would have left us with one option, which should have been to turn right.

However, smack dab in the middle of the street, hanging down so it was impossible to miss was a sigh that said "NO RIGHT TURN."

It didn't say "No Right Turn on RED," it simply said "NO RIGHT TURN." Just in case the intrepid driver of a vehicle might have missed the sign dangling in clear view, there was a regular rectangular sign stuck in the ground to the right of the car that said "NO RIGHT TURN."

The light turned green. The people behind us honked. Decision time.

I whipped out my camera and took photos.

What else would you expect a tourist to do.

We then turned right.

So did the vehicle behind us.

I had every intention to take the photos and send them to Jay Leno, but you know how that goes. They're in a box somewhere, collecting dust.

I have thought many times about that intersection and tried to fathom what was in the mind of the people who made the decision to put up those signs.

I am thinking they just liked to have fun with hapless travelers. Or maybe they had imbibed just a touch too much hooch.

If I ever find those photos, I'll have to post them on here for everyone to see.

Just in case I don't get to write before the New Year, Miss Etta I hope you and your family have a year filled with places you can get to (and that you want to go)!

Miss Faye

Today I Wrap It All Up

Miss Faye,

I am so very tried as I have been trying to wrap it all for Christmas. Did you know it takes time to wrap all those gifts? Not to mention all the time I spent shopping! All the agonizing. All the decisions.

I, too, did a bunch of online shopping this season and am waiting for the last two boxes to arrive. The contents of those boxes will be big surprises for the recipients! Ho, Ho, Ho.

I did indeed notice the coupon from the Village Cafe, which is also a place I dearly love to eat. I've never had a bad meal there. I just love their salads, chicken dishes, and, of course, their Reuben sandwich. Thick and juicy-- just the way I like it. I, too, plan to head over there this week with my printed coupon and purchase some of the gift certificates. And I think I'll even keep a few for myself! If you get there today, let me know if there are any restrictions of which I may need to be aware.

As I've been wrapping, I've been wondering about Christmas and all those poor souls who are so caught up in the shopping and have just lost the meaning of it all. I almost long for those Christmases of old when it was a much simpler affair. It used to be we got a few gifts under the tree like street skates, new pjs, slippers, and a little fruit, candy and perfume in the stocking. Now adays, the children all expect so much. Are we a product of the children of the depression? Those who were children during that time in our country's history truly had little. They worked so hard to be able to live better and give more. And now, we do the same. Give, give, give. I think we should stop, have lunch and just reflect on our lives and our blessings.

You'll be proud to know I did vote yesterday. With all I had heard around town, I was not surprised at the winner. Matt is a home town boy. Remember the simple life here in Fayette County. Please don't make us like the big city.

I also heard from a friend of mine yesterday who spent the day at a mall up north. Her comments echoed my thoughts of a day or so ago when I said the stores weren't crowded. So, the less than full stores epidemic is continuing to spread. Guess we're all concerned with the immediate future.

As for me, I'll have a nice warm drink, and get Christmas all wrapped up. Maybe I'll even get the Mr. to take me to lunch at the Village Cafe. He's already asked me if I wanted to eat there on New Year's Eve.

Enjoy your day.

Miss Etta