Hoppin' John

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups water
• 2 smoked ham hocks (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen black-eyed peas
• 1 cup uncooked jasmine or basmati rice
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion tops

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add thyme, red pepper, salt, black pepper, and bay leaves; cook 1 minute. Add water and ham hocks, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add peas; cook for an additional 30 minutes.
2. Remove ham hocks from pan; cool. Remove ham from bones; finely chop. Discard bones, skin, and fat. Add rice and red bell pepper to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in ham. Discard bay leaves. Spoon into a serving dish, and sprinkle with green onions.