Hoppin' John

A simple Labor Day repast with ample leftovers to keep me from having to cook again until Thursday or Friday.  Red peppers are courtesy of our new friend Steve W., who brought them to our weekend camping destination from his home in Goose Creek.

Hoppin' John: it's not just for New Year's anymore!

2 cups chicken broth
1 lb frozen black-eyed peas, thawed
2 tbsp canola oil
12 oz frozen okra, thawed
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground whole oregano
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce
2 cups basmati rice

Bring chicken broth to a boil, add thawed black-eyed peas and simmer over medium heat until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add rice, reduce heat to medium-low, stir well, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes.

Once these have been cooking for a few minutes, heat canola oil in a wide, shallow saucepan over medium heat.  Add okra, stir well and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, salt, cayenne, bell peppers and onion, stir and cook until all vegetables have softened, about 5 more minutes.  Add chipotle sauce and black-eyed peas with any remaining broth to the sauce pan and cook until broth has reduced by half, about 5 more minutes.

Once everything is cooked, make a shallow bed of rice on each plate, top with black-eyed pea mixture and serve.

So as you can see, I know quite a few ways to make beans and rice.  The veggies and seasonings make all the difference, especially with this recipe.  The chipotle hot sauce gives it a nice Liquid Smoke flavor that I miss when I don't have any of this sauce on hand.

When I was plating this up, Steve put spoons on the table and was surprised to discover that I wasn't serving this up in a bowl - because you're supposed to??...Oh, well.  Mine's the only hoppin' john with okra that I've ever eaten, so I guess all bets are off.  Still, the leftovers got me through a long afternoon, and I'm guessing that they'll do the same again tomorrow.