Hoppin’ José Rice
The American South loves its Hoppin' John, especially around New Year's. It represents luck and prosperity. This is my version of this traditional rice dish, using my recipe for Black-Eyed Peas Guiso (stew) and lima beans. This is a great way to enhance your leftover rice. To make it even better, toast the rice a bit to create a crust on the finished rice dish.
Ingredients
2 tbsps Vegetable Oil
1/2 cups Bacon
3/4 cups Frozen lima beans, thawed
3/4 cups Black-Eyed Peas Guiso, recipe below
2 cups White Rice
1 drizzle Olive oil
2 tbsps Fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Preparation
In a large, deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, to render the fat, 3 minutes.
Add the lima beans and Black-Eyed Peas Guiso to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the cooked rice. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the rice is toasted, about 10 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and spoon the Hoppin' José onto a serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the cilantro.
Recipe Title: Black-Eyes Peas Guiso
Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Servings: 6
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups dry-cured meat (carne seca), diced and soaked overnight
1 cup finely diced white onion
½ cup finely diced carrots
½ cup finely diced celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely diced red jalapeño
1 tablespoon cumin
½ tablespoon paprika
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 pound frozen black-eyed peas
5 cups water
1 smoked ham hock
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
In a large, deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the soaked meat and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
Add the cumin, paprika, oregano, ginger, and rosemary to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.
Add the black-eyed peas, water, and ham hock to the skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover the skillet and let the dish simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove the ham hock from the skillet, then remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish the dish with the cilantro.
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