Hoppin' John (Hoppin' John) — Southern Black-Eyed Peas and Rice

• 340 gdried black-eyed peas
• 1.5 lcold water
• 6 gkosher salt
• 85 gthick-cut bacon (cut crosswise into 6 mm strips)
• 1yellow onion (finely diced)
• 2celery stalks (finely diced)
• 1green bell pepper (finely diced)
• 3 clovegarlic (minced)
• 450 gsmoked ham hock
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 4 sprigfresh thyme
• 1.2 llow-sodium chicken stock
• 240 mlhot water (for bringing reserved pot liquor to the exact rice-cooking volume)
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 0.25 tspcayenne pepper
• 300 glong-grain white rice (rinsed until the water runs mostly clear)
• 28 gunsalted butter
• 4scallions (thinly sliced)
• 2 tbspLouisiana-style hot sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Pick over the black-eyed peas and discard any stones or damaged peas, then rinse them under cold running water. Combine the peas with 1.5 l cold water and 6 g kosher salt in a large bowl, cover, and soak for 8 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.

2. 2

   Drain the soaked peas and rinse them once more, then set them aside while you build the base. Put the bacon in a heavy 5 l Dutch oven over medium heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the fat renders and the bacon is browned but not brittle.

3. 3

   Add the diced onion, celery, and green bell pepper to the bacon fat and cook for 7 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant, because browned garlic can turn bitter in the long simmer.

4. 4

   Add the drained peas, smoked ham hock, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, chicken stock, 4 g kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Bring the pot to a steady boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 45 to 55 minutes until the peas are tender but still hold their shape.

5. 5

   Lift out the ham hock and place it on a cutting board until it is cool enough to handle. Drain the peas through a colander set over a large bowl, discard the bay leaves and thyme stems, and measure exactly 720 ml of the reserved cooking liquid, adding measured hot water from the 240 ml amount if the pot liquor is short.

6. 6

   Pull the usable meat from the ham hock, discard the skin, bone, and tough connective tissue, and chop the meat into small pieces. Return the peas, chopped ham, measured 720 ml pot liquor, and rinsed rice to the Dutch oven, then stir once so the rice is evenly distributed.

7. 7

   Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to very low and cover the pot tightly. Cook for 18 minutes without lifting the lid, because trapped steam is what finishes the rice evenly.

8. 8

   Turn off the heat and let the covered pot rest for 10 minutes so the grains firm up and the peas settle into the rice. Fold in the butter gently with a fork, fluffing rather than mashing, then scatter the scallions over the top.

9. 9

   Serve the Hoppin' John hot with Louisiana-style hot sauce at the table. For the traditional Southern New Year's plate, add collard greens for money and cornbread for gold.