Hoppin' John

Ingredients

• 1c dry black-eye peas, washed
  
• 6c water
  
• 3-4 smoked ham hocks
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 3c worth of chicken bouillon (for us, 1.5 cubes)
  
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes (with chilies)
  
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
  
• 1c long grain white rice
  

In a large pot, add everything except the rice. It's a good idea to add the beans then the water before adding anything else, since sometimes the iffy black-eyed peas will float to the surface. Bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle boil / high simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, until there are about 2c of liquid left. Now mix in the rice, cover, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes on low (leave that lid on!), then take it off the heat and leave covered for another 10 minutes. Serve.

Thoughts: I'm not sure this is authentically hoppin' john - it was kind of cobbled together from the suggestions of several people who seemed to think they knew the "right way". But this was JUST awesome. Too good, in fact. Anyway, in the future it might be good to cook the onions first with the bell peppers, but I'm not sure that it's necessary - this was really good, and had a really rich, complex flavor.

Disaster Index: 1/10