Good Luck Hoppin' John

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Sam Jones/Quinn Brein
The Editors
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Makes 8 servings.
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Hoppin’ John is a traditional New Year’s Day dish. It is said that eating this black-eyed peas dish on January 1 will bring luck all year long!

Traditionally, Hoppin’ John is a one-pot recipe. The Southern-style classic uses thick-cut bacon as opposed to a ham hock (which can overpower the dish).

We’ve kept the recipe simple, but you can certainly add other ingredients, including: finely sliced celery, chopped green pepper, sliced scallions, and chopped garlic. For more flavor, use chicken broth instead of water.

No matter what your variation, these three ingredients make a Hoppin’ John: the pork, the black-eyed peas, and the rice.

Wondering why it is called Hoppin’ John? Learn more at our Hoppin’ John page!

Ingredients
4 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped
1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas or 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen black-eyed peas
1/2 cup white rice (Carolina Gold rice preferred)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon. Add onions until bacon is crisp and onions are soft. Add black-eyed peas, rice, 1 cup of water, and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer over low heat until rice is cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes. Toss with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors

We love introducing fun new recipes as well as time-tested recipes, straight from the archives! Read More from The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors