Hoppin' John Fritters

This makes a lot, but I like eating these for a week at a time. If you aren't that excited, make a half recipe. It's from Cafe Flora and their directions are better than my directions. Also, it's a great cookbook. If you find yourself in Seattle, eat there, even if you aren't vegetarian.

I'd made these many, many, many times before ever making hoppin' john. Now that I have hoppin' john leftovers in the fridge, I perceive that this is potentially a leftovers dish. Unfortunately, this has a reversed bean-rice ratio from the traditional dish. Hmmmm.

Cook some rice. You'll need 1 Cup rice later.

Soak 2 Cups Dried Black-Eyed Peas

Put them in a pot, cover them with about an inch of water, bring them to a boil, lower the heat, simmer uncovered until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Chop, then cook in a frying pan in a small amount of oil, broth or water:

1 small red onion
1 large peeled carrot
2 stalks celery
2 clove garlic

Add the garlic last, after the onion is transparent.

Add, then cook until dry:

1/4 Cup White Wine

Reserve: 2 Cups black-eyed peas.

Mash remaining peas. I use a potato masher; a stand mixer would work, too.

Combine, mixing well:

mashed peas
sauted vegetables
3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
2-3 springs fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 Cup cooked rice
1/2 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
several dashes chipotle Tabasco sauce

Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp corn starch.

Stir. Gently fold in reserved peas. Chill for 1/2 hour. Form patties by taking about 3 Tbsp of mixture, making a ball then flattening it out. Cook in a pan with a little oil on medium-high heat, 4-5 minutes per side.

Serve with Cayenne Aioli. And greens.

These pictures are not quite the recipe above, because I didn't have celery, fresh herbs (or any thyme at all, which is a little shocking), or lemon. I subbed bell pepper for the celery, lime juice for the lemon, dried herbs for fresh, etc. Turned out fine; this is a forgiving recipe.

In the pan:

On the plate, with a custard cup of kale cooked with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar:

Created January 8, 2008
Updated September 25, 2013