Crooks Corner Hoppin John Recipes

SOUTHERN HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Saute pepper, celery and onions in drippings until almost tender. Add rice, water and seasonings. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add peas and bacon; simmer 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaf.

CROOK'S CORNER HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Put the bacon or salt pork in a saucepan and cook, stirring often, until all the cubes are crisp. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
• Add peas, garlic, about 1 1/4 cups water or to barely cover, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper flakes. Bring to boil and let simmer, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Remove from heat.
• Put the rice in a saucepan and add 1 1/2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to boil and let simmer 17 minutes. Stir in the butter.
• Cut unpeeled tomato into 1/4-inch cubes; there should be about 1 cup.
• Arrange the hot rice in the center of a platter. Spoon the hot pea mixture, including liquid, over the rice. Scatter the cheese over the peas. Place tomato cubes around the rice. Scatter the scallions over the tomatoes. Serve immediately.

DEEP-FRIED WHITING

Steps:

• Rinse the whiting. Drain but do not pat dry.
• Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.
• Season the flour with salt and pepper. Put the whiting in the flour, and stir so that each piece is liberally coated. Shake off excess flour. Drop a third of the whiting into the oil, and cook about 5 minutes, until the fish is crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• Repeat with the remaining whiting.
• Serve with lemon wedges or lemon halves.

BROOKLYN-STYLE HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cover peas generously with water, add baking soda and soak overnight.
• The next day, rinse ham hocks and pat dry. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Sear ham hocks and ham trimmings, turning so all sides are cooked.
• Remove seasoning meat, if using. Add water to ham hocks just to cover, bring to a boil and then turn heat to a strong simmer. Partly cover pot and cook hocks until slightly tender, about 45 minutes.
• If using seasoning meat, return it to pot. Add peas, onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, bay leaves, salt and red pepper, along with five cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer and cook until beans are tender and water begins to look saucy, 30 to 45 minutes. Serve over white rice with vinegar peppers, if desired.

HOPPIN' JOHN (SLOW COOKER / CROCK POT)

Steps:

• 1. Combine the soaked beans (soak overnight), white onion, celery, red bell peppers, garlic & ham in a large crock pot.
• 2. In a bowl, whisk the chicken bouillon granules and Cajun seasoning into the chicken broth. Pour into the crock pot and stir to combine the ingredients.
• 3. Add one bay leaf, pushing it down into the liquid until it is sumerged.
• 4. Lay the four strips of bacon over combined ingredients, side-by-side. It's okay if they sink.
• 5. Cook on high 7-8 hours (or low 4-5 hours), until the beans are tender. Discard the bay leaf and rendered bacon. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary (add salt & black pepper to taste).
• 6. Serve over white rice, garnished with a sprinkle of green onion.