Title: Hoppin' John (Jeff Smith)
Categories: Entree Holiday
Yield: 4 -6

1	c	Dried fried peas (cowpeas)
4	c	Water
1	md	Onion, sliced
1/2	lb	Bacon, thick sliced, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1	c	Raw long grain rice
1	ts	Salt
		Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Put the peas and water in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the peas, covered, until just barely tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes. You will have to add additional water during the cooking process. Watch that the peas do not dry out. Drain the peas, reserving the water, and return them to the kettle.

Saute the onion along with the bacon until the onion is clear. Add to the pot along with the rice and 2 1/2 cups of the reserved liquid. Add the seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, covered. Allow the dish to rest off the heat for 10 minutes before you lift the lid.

This dish looks like a normal starch dish, but the name is intriguing. In the South it is served as often as you wish, but always on New Year's Day, in which case it is to bring you good luck. I am told that the children were so fond of this dish in the old days that they would hop about the kitchen waiting for it to cook thus giving it the name.

It can be made with black-eyed peas, red lentils, or dried field peas, but the remaining ingredients are always constant.

Here's the recipe as it appears in _The_Frugal_Gourmet_Cooks_American_ by Jeff Smith, page 204. (Copyright 1987 by Frugal Gourmet, Inc.)

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