A spicy spin on the classic rice dish from the Southern U.S.

I was going through old files from the restaurant trying to decide what to post this week, when I found an article from 2011 in A-Line Magazine about Myra and this recipe! Several people have requested this dish, so I decided it was meant to be.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make all the parts ahead and put it together whenever you want. I love black eyed peas, so I am going to make it with them. You can also use spicy Black Bean Soup—or some of both, which is what is suggested in this article from 2011. Myra always cooked dried black-eyed peas and put the extras in the freezer. If you have any left over, don’t leave them in the fridge—they won’t last very long. Be sure and use a green pepper of some kind, even though you are adding salsa. It gives a nice crunch to the dish. And, of course I’m going to use a poblano pepper instead of a green bell pepper because they are fresh from New Mexico this time of year in Denver!

Recipe

Hoppin' Juan

A spin on the classic rice dish from the Southern U.S.

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Course Entrees and Favorite Rice Combinations

Cuisine American, vegetarian

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

1 rice cooker
1 pot for 2 cups of beans
1 knife and cutting board

Ingredients

2 cups dried black-eyed peas
4 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup James' Salsa
2 or 3 green onions, chopped
½ cup pepper: green bell pepper, or chile pepper of your choice, chopped.
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

Cook the black-eyed peas: put dried beans in a pot on the stove, and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and turn to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Too high heat or over cooking them will make them fall apart. Test after 30 minutes, and see if you need to cook any longer.
While the beans are cooking, make a pot of brown rice (or use a rice cooker).
Gather the rest of the ingredients: Chop the onions, and the pepper, grate the cheddar cheese, get out the salsa.
When everything is cooked place 1 cup of rice on each plate, with ⅔ cup of black-eyed peas on top. Next cover with ½ cup of cheddar cheese, ⅓ cup salsa, 2 TBLS of onions and 2 TBLS of green peppers. You can finish it in the microwave, if it's not hot enough to melt the cheese.

Notes

At Myra's you had a choice of black eyed peas, or Spicy Black Beans on your Hoppin' Juan. And of course, you should make James' Salsa to go on top!

Keyword Black eyed peas, brown rice, cheddar cheese, salsa

Hoppin’ Juan