My Hoppin' John

More stew than soup, it's a classic New Year's Day meal! I couldn't find a recipe that had everything I liked, so I took 4 different ones and combined parts to make it all my own. Served it to friends this New Year's Day with fresh baked bread and they all loved it (even the kids)! I used the ham bone and scrap ham from the left-over Christmas ham.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 400 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup chopped ham
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 large meaty ham bone
• 1 ¼ cups chicken broth, or more as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat and brown the ham bone on all sides, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook until the onion is translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, 2 cups of water, chicken broth, wine, ham, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the mixture is thickened and the flavors have blended, 30 to 60 minutes. Add more chicken stock if the mixture is too thick.

Step 2

About 30 minutes before serving, bring the rice and 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the rice stand covered for about 10 minutes to absorb steam.

Step 3

Remove the ham bone from the soup, cutting any extra ham off the bone and returning it to the pot. Discard the bone. Stir the cooked rice into the black-eyed pea mixture until well combined and serve.