Hoppin' John

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 4 ounces bacon, chopped medium (about 4 slices)
• 1 medium onion, chopped medium
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen black-eyed peas, thawed and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Recipe

• 1 adjust an oven rack to the middle position; preheat to 375°.
• 2 grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and set aside.
• 3 heat the oil in a large skillet over med-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.
• 4 add the ham and cook until the fat has rendered, about 6 minutes.
• 5 add the bacon and cook until slightly crisp, about 3 minutes.
• 6 use a slotted spoon to remove the ham and bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
• 7 spoon off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and return to the burner.
• 8 reduce the heat to medium; add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes.
• 9 add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• 10 stir in the rice, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is coated and glistening, about 1 minute.
• 11 transfer the rice mixture to the baking dish and add the bay leaves.
• 12 return the skillet to the heat; add the chicken broth, water, salt, and pepper to taste.
• 13 increase heat to med-high, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.
• 14 add the black-eyed peas, ham, and bacon; bring to a boil, and pour over the rice mixture, stirring to combine.
• 15 cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• 16 remove from the oven, stir the rice (if the rice appears too dry, add 1/4 cup more water), recover with foil, and cook until the rice is fully tender, 20-25 minutes.
• 17 remove the dish from the oven and discard the bay leaves.
• 18 stir in the parsley, recover the dish, and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.