Crook’s Corner Hoppin’ John

Recipe from Bill Neal

Adapted by Craig Claiborne

Published July 9, 1985

Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(100)
Comments
Read comments

“Everything I do is as authentic as possible, but with my own refinements,” the chef Bill Neal of Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, N.C., told Craig Claiborne in 1985. “I try to make a personal statement.” An example was his hoppin’ John. A typical version of the time consisted basically of cooked peas — black-eyed or crowder — served on a bed of rice; the usual seasonings were only salt, pepper and perhaps a little salt pork. Mr. Neal seasoned his peas with garlic, thyme and bay leaf, and added a garnish of cubed tomatoes, chopped scallions and grated cheese. —Craig Claiborne

Featured in: FOR A CAROLINA CHEF, HELPINGS OF HISTORY

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

FOR THE HOPPIN’ JOHN

  • ⅛ pound streaky bacon or salt pork, cut into small cubes, about ½ cup

  • ⅓ cup carrots cut into very small cubes

  • ½ cup finely diced celery

  • ⅔ cup finely diced onions

  • 10 ounces fresh or frozen black-eyed peas

  • 1 whole clove garlic

  • 2 ¾ cups water, approximately

  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 1 bay leaf

  • Salt to taste, if desired

  • ¼ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

  • 1 cup rice

  • 2 tablespoons butter

FOR THE GARNISH

  • 1 red ripe tomato, about ¼ pound, cored

  • ¼ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, finely grated

  • 1 cup finely chopped scallions, including green part

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

41 grams carbs; 37 milligrams cholesterol; 365 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 686 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the bacon or salt pork in a saucepan and cook, stirring often, until all the cubes are crisp. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.

  2. Step 2

    Add peas, garlic, about 1 ¼ cups water or to barely cover, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper flakes. Bring to boil and let simmer, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Remove from heat.

  3. Step 3

    Put the rice in a saucepan and add 1 ½ cups water and salt to taste. Bring to boil and let simmer 17 minutes. Stir in the butter.

  4. Step 4

    Cut unpeeled tomato into ¼-inch cubes; there should be about 1 cup.

  5. Step 5

    Arrange the hot rice in the center of a platter. Spoon the hot pea mixture, including liquid, over the rice. Scatter the cheese over the peas. Place tomato cubes around the rice. Scatter the scallions over the tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
100 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Janet

We ate at Crooks Corner often when we lived in Durham in the early 1980's. We have an autographed copy of Bill Neal's Cookbook which we have used often for authentic low country cooking. I would suggest using Red Peas from Anson Mills as a wonderful substitution for the black eyed peas (or any other lentil recipe). https://ansonmills.com/products/41

Sam Calhoun

This was good but needed a little more flavor. I added some hot pepper vinegar, smoked paprika and some additional garlic.

Christy

I’d forgotten about Crook’s Corner until I saw the title of the recipe. I used to eat there often in the late 90s when I lived in Carborro. That’s where I first had Hoppin’ John.

rkc

I love this dish. I grew up in Durham and Chapel Hill. Right after I graduated from college, it was a big treat to go to Crooks (we couldn’t afford it before) and have the Hoppin John or Shrimp and Grits. One of the commenters suggested adding vinegar. Instead of that, I make a big pot of collards which has vinegar in the water and adds a veggie and some body as a side dish. Happy New Year!

Teresa

Delicious! I used dried peas; even after soaking it took close to an hour to cook. Added extra bacon. I’ll definitely make this again!

Amy

This was a big hit at my house on New Year's Day. I thought the flavors were perfect.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from Bill Neal, Crook’s Corner, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.