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A blend of rice, black-eyed peas, ham, and seasoning, Hoppin’ John is a delicious side dish and the best way to ring in the New Year.

This recipe comes from South Carolina Hometown Cookbook and is super easy to make.

According to the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, “Tradition says that eating Hoppin’ John, collard greens, and cornbread on New Year’s Day will bring a year filled with good luck.  Made of black-eyed peas and rice, seasoned with ham hocks, onions, green peppers, and spices, the origin of the name is unknown, but it’s thought to be a slave dish from the colonial era.”

How To Make Hoppin’ John

For this delicious side dish, you need the following:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 2 (16-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, slightly drained, or about 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
• 1 cup chopped cooked ham
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 3 cups hot cooked rice
• Salt to taste
• Sliced sweet onion, optional. 

In a large saucepan, sauté the chopped onion in bacon drippings until tender. Stir in black-eyed peas, ham, and cayenne pepper; simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in hot cooked rice and season with salt.

Serve Hoppin’ John hot with sliced onion and cornbread.

Yield: 4 servings

Easy Hoppin' John Recipe

Print

A blend of rice, black-eyed peas, ham and seasoning, this dish is a delicious way of ringing in the New Year.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 2 (16-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, slightly drained, or about 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
• 1 cup chopped cooked ham
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 3 cups hot cooked rice
• Salt to taste
• Sliced sweet onion, optional

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, sauté onion in bacon drippings until tender. Stir in black-eyed peas, ham and cayenne pepper; simmer 10 minutes.
2. Stir in hot cooked rice and salt. 
3. Serve Hoppin’ John hot with sliced onion and cornbread.

Notes

Recipe excerpted from South Carolina Hometown Cookbook, copyright 2018, and reprinted with permission.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 467Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 549mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 13gSugar: 13gProtein: 26g

Nutrition information is an approximation.

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The South Carolina Hometown Cookbook

The South Carolina Hometown Cookbook is the sixth book in the State Hometown Cookbook Series published by Great American Publishers.  Though the book is full of recipes from around the state, it’s more than just a cookbook.  Sprinkled throughout the book are stories and pictures about the various food festivals that take place in South Carolina.

The recipes in the book provide a glimpse into the culinary history of the people of the Palmetto state.  While some of the recipes resonate with people across the entire country, many recipes in the book have their origin in South Carolina, like Hoppin’ John and Adluh’s Sweet Potato Apple Cobbler with Pecans.

With South Carolina being a coastal state, there are plenty of seafood recipes included in the book, like Coastal Crab Fritters, South Carolina Cheesy Shrimp and Vegetables, Lowcountry Shrimp Bake, Seafood Étouffée, Beaufort Stew, and Carolina Hot Tartar Sauce to name a few.

The cookbook is divided into chapters to make it easy to find a recipe appropriate for the occasion/meal.  In the back of the book is a list of the Food Festivals by Month as well as an alphabetical index.

Look for the South Carolina Hometown Cookbook at your local retailer or at Amazon.com.