Every culture has its rice and beans traditions, but none may be so specific as the Southerner's consumption of rice, peas, and collards on New Year's Day in hopes of bringing financial luck in the coming year. I've been using Anson Mills Sea Island Red Peas and their recipe for several years, ever since I learned about them in a Southern Foodways class at the University of South Carolina.
Sea Island Red Peas make all of the difference for anyone who doesn't like Hoppin' John, or field peas in general. Black eyed peas are the typical dried pea used in Hoppin' John and they suck. They are mealy, flavorless peas that give legumes a bad name, and don't deserve to be the star of a dish like this. They're fine in chili, salads, or fritters, but if you're going to have a pea be THE pea in a recipe, you better use the best pea there is.
Sea Island Red Peas
These special peas, the Sea Island Red Peas, fell out of production during the Depression, and are coming back onto the flavor scene as fast as the farmers who grow them can get them out of the ground. The peas are a native Gullah Geechee community in the lower coastal area where South Carolina and Georgia come together.
Using these peas means that you have to be careful in its preparation, you don't want to waste these special legumes (Not just because they are a little pricey but that's a big reason!). And I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen for two hours at the end of the year, fussing over fancy peas, so I thought I'd save some time and turn to our best friend, the Instant Pot, to make quick and efficient work of my Hoppin' John. I made both vegetarian and meat versions, and adapted Anson Mills' recipe to be a bit simpler but still as delicious as doing it their more time-intensive way!
Instant Pot Hoppin' John
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced onions
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 cup dried Sea Island red peas soaked in water for ~8 hours
- 2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 shake red pepper flakes to taste
- smoked salt to taste
- 3 drops Liquid Smoke OR 1 slice of thick cut bacon
- Cooked rice
- Chopped chives to garnish
Instructions
- If using the bacon: press the saute function on the Instant Pot and add the bacon slice. Keep the lid off and saute until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Use tongs to peel it away from the bottom of the pot as needed. Turn off the saute function and leave the bacon in the pot.
- Add all ingredients except the smoked salt to the pot, and stir. to combine.
- Put the lid on and set the valve to Sealing. Press Manual and set for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the rice while the Instant Pot is doing its magic.
- Once the Instant Pot timer has gone off and the pressure has released (about 10-15 minutes later), remove the lid.
- Spoon out about a cup of the beans, and set aside.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the remaining liquid, beans, and vegetables.
- To serve, add rice to each bowl, and ladle in the bean puree. Top with the reserved whole beans, and garnish with smoked salt and chives. Don't forget your collards on the side!
Other Field Peas
Can't find sea island red peas in time? You can also use crowder peas or purple hull peas. Find out all about the different types of field peas in this Southern Living slideshow if you so desire. But you'll find a whole new world out there if you stop using boring, bland black eyed peas. If you're interested in learning more about the revival of more flavorful Southern crops and ingredients, read Southern Provisions (written by Dr. David Shields who taught me — if nothing else — to hell with black eyed peas).
The other part of the Southern money-making tradition is eating collards in addition to Hoppin' John. Last year I was very anti-collard but have since come around and grudgingly admit that it is about the proper preparation to be able to eat collards. This year I'll jump on board the collard eating train with these huge leaves I got grown locally from Sylvan Farms.
So tell me, are you going to eat rice and peas and collards on New Years Day to bring you coins and dollars?
Looking for more classic Southern recipes that have been converted to work in the Instant Pot? Try my Charleston Red Rice and Vegetable Rice.