Hoppin’ Juan
Hoppin’ John is a traditional southern dish with black eyed peas and bacon or ham hock – I’m taking it up a notch by grinding pork shoulder with my Weston grinder and adding spices from Hi Mountain Seasonings, then serving over rice for a more southwest taste. Don’t have black eyed peas in season? You can always use canned, but next time you have them in season, freeze and vacuum seal packages with your Foodsaver Gamesaver unit.
Hoppin’ Juan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground feral or domestic hog shoulder or hindquarter
- 1 1/2 cups celery diced
- 2 cups yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
- 1 pasilla or poblano pepper seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 3 cups dried black-eyed peas
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups warm cooked American long grain rice
- 1 1/2 cups seeded and diced tomato
- hot sauce
- cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until evenly browned. Add celery, onion, garlic and peppers. Cook until onions are translucent.
- Add black-eyed peas, oregano and salt. Add just enough cold water to cover the peas and meat. Cook until peas are soft, about 45 minutes. NOTE - you can cut your cooking time in half by pre-cooking your black-eyed peas until they are half done, then adding them to the mix and cooking for another 20 minutes.
- To serve, place rice in bowls and ladle Hoppin’ Juan over. Top with tomato, hot sauce and cilantro.