Hoppin' John [V] [GF]

After posting the Hoppin' Cod recipe on this blog last week, I've been asked by certain interested parties (who were, I should emphasize, fans of the dish) to provide, in addition, a more traditional Hoppin' John recipe.  I'm certainly glad to oblige: here's a slightly modified version of the Sundays at Moosewood  recipe which introduced me to the dish.

A wide variety of modifications can add variety to this dish.  For example, the traditional recipe involves both garlic (two cloves) and browned onions (roughly 1 cup thereof), which I omit for allergy reasons.  However, I can only imagine that they improve the flavor of the dish, so if you can eat them, you might as well reintroduce them into the mix.  I've also experimented with adding collard greens (one large bunch) to the beans about ten minutes before the heat is turned off, and they also do a great deal to enhance the dish in terms of both taste and nutritional value.  If you're not into spicy food, substitute paprika for some or all of the cayenne pepper; if the opposite is true, adding more cayenne can't hurt either.

Incidentally, if you're wondering about the corn muffins (for that's what they are) in the photograph, that will remain a story for a later date.  In the meantime, enjoy your black-eyed peas!

The base of the dish:

• 4 cups black-eyed peas, cooked
• 2 Tbsp. vegan butter substitute
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp. gluten-free tamari soy sauce
• 2-3 pinches ground allspice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Accompaniments:

• 2 large roma tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• Steamed rice (from 2-3 cups dry rice)

If you're beginning with dry black-eyed peas, boil 2 cups of them in 5-6 cups of water for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside to soak for 4-6 hours or more, covered.  Following that, bring them to a boil again and cook over medium high heat until the beans are tender (generally 40 min. or so), then strain the beans, but save some of the liquid in which they were cooked.  If the beans are already cooked (for example, if they're coming from a can), it also doesn't hurt to save a little bit of the liquid to add to the mixture later on.

Before you begin preparing the beans, it's a good idea to begin cooking the rice, as it will be done at roughly the same time the beans are.  To convert the cooked beans into Hoppin' John, begin by frying the allspice, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in the soy butter in a large frying pan.  Pour in the black-eyed peas and the soy sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes.  Add as much salt as required.  Serve over the rice, topped by the chopped tomatoes and cilantro.