Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

HOPPIN’ JOHN

The classic dish uses collard greens and ham
hocks, but I have replaced them with New Zea­
land spinach, a hardy green that weathers the
summer sun, doesn’t lose as much bulk when
heated as does traditional spinach, and isn’t
as washed out as long-cooked collards. The
ham hock smokiness is replaced with smoked
paprika.
SERVES 6

For the Peas
1 cup dry black-eyed peas
3–4 cups water for soaking (or 5 cups water for
quick-soaking )
1 teaspoon nonaromatic olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped (2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, bashed and chopped
1 rib celery, chopped (½ cup)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
(see page 288)
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup raw long-grain white rice
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
3 heaping tablespoons chopped parsley

For the Spinach
½ teaspoon nonaromatic olive oil
½ lemon sliced
1 dried red chile or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne

2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

(see page 288)

8 cups washed and stemmed New Zealand

spinach, torn into 2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pick over and rinse the black-eyed peas, then

cover them with 3–4 cups of water and soak

overnight. To quick-soak, bring to a boil, turn

off the heat, and let set, covered, for 1 hour.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a 10½-inch chef ’s pan

over medium-high. Sauté the onion 3 minutes,

then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Stir in the celery, 4 cups of stock, thyme, bay

leaves, rice, soaked black-eyed peas, cloves, and

cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.

Add the paprika and cook for 20 minutes or

until the rice and peas are tender but not mushy.

While the peas are cooking, prepare the spin­

ach. Heat the oil in a chef ’s pan over medium­

high. Lay the lemon slices and red chile in the

pan and cook 2 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of stock

and the spinach, and boil gently 3 minutes. Stir

in the zest, salt, and lemon juice, and set aside

until you are ready to serve.

When the peas are done, taste for salt and

add if needed. Stir in the chopped parsley, and

you are ready to serve. Divide the spinach among

6 hot bowls. Pour the liquid left in the pan into

the rice and pea mixture. Ladle the hoppin’ John

onto the spinach, and you are ready for a real

down-home treat!

Per serving : 258 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 50 g

carbohydrate, 10 g protein, 6 g dietary fi ber, 401 mg

sodium. Exchanges: 2 ½ Starch, 2 Vegetable

194 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE