Hoppin’ John {50 Women in Food: #36 Edna Lewis}
Mary of One Perfect Bite and some other women food bloggers (including myself) are blogging our way through the 50 Women Game Changers In Food published by Gourmet in May ’11. Some of the women on the list you will know, others you may not, but either way, this will be a great 50 week journey to learn more about these women that inspire the way we think about food today.
Please visit Mary at One Perfect Bite, Val at More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne at Eats Well With Others, Taryn at Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan at The Spice Garden, Claudia at A Seasonal Cook In Turkey, Heather at Girlichef, Jeanette at Jeanette’s Healthy Living, Sue at The View From Great Island, Barbara at Moveable Feasts, Nancy at Picadillo, Mireya at My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen, Annie at Lovely Things, Claudia at Journey of an Italian Cook, Alyce at More Time at the Table, and Amrita at Beetle’s Kitchen Escapades for their tributes to these 50 women.
There is so much to know about Edna Lewis, and a wonderful woman she was. Granddaughter of freed slaves, she grew up to be a great chef and a culinary giant. She grew up in Freetown, Virginia, and coming from meager beginnings, they used a wood-fired stove for all their cooking and didn’t have measuring spoons or scales, so instead they used coins, piling baking powder on pennies, salt on dimes, and baking soda on nickels. Edna could tell when a cake was done just by listening.
In 1948, when female chefs were few and black female chefs were even fewer, Edna opened her own restaurant with John Nicholson, an antiques dealer and bohemian with a taste for high society. Café Nicholson on East 57th Street in Manhattan was a huge success. Her southern cooking was the star and it quickly made her a local legend. A broken leg in the late 60′s led her to stop cooking and it was then that she decided to put her work in writing. She wrote The Edna Lewis Cookbook and The Taste of Country Cooking.
Here in the south, when the new year is near you will find grocery shelves stocked with black-eyed peas, cornbread mixes, and collard greens. This meal symbolizes good luck and prosperity for the coming year. I have made black-eyed peas via recipes from Paula Deen and the Neely’s – both very fitting for southern cuisine. But I have never had Hoppin John.
Mis en Place:
Not a lot of ingredients, but a lot of flavor. Some people like tomatoes in their peas, but you won’t find those here.
Wow. I didn’t expect much from this, but once you add the black pepper and salt, it really kicks it into high gear. The distinct flavor of the cracked black pepper and the fiery heat of the crushed red pepper gives this a great flavor. It is not all bogged down in heavy pot liquor like some other recipes. It has just the right amount needed. Come new years, I may swap this out for our traditional recipe.
Kitchen Notes:
- The recipe does not indicate soaking the beans at all, but I soaked mine for 4 hours before I made the recipe because I have never known dry beans to cook soft in one hour.
- You are told to cut the meat off your ham hock halfway through the recipe, but I did not get much meat off of mine, so I used some leftover ham steak that I had used for my Green Eggs and Ham recipe.
- The recipe was a little wordy and I had to read it twice to really understand what to do. The original recipe did not include the salt and pepper in the ingredient list (I updated that) only in the directions. Breezing through, you could miss it.
This dish is traditionally eaten on New Year's Day for good luck. Serve it with extra black-eyes and their pot liquor on the side to add more moisture, as well as a platter of simmered greens.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
- 1 meaty ham hock (about 10 oz)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 9 cups water
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
Directions
- Bring all ingredients except rice to a boil in a large heavy pot, skimming any foam, then simmer, covered, until peas are barely tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer 4 cups peas and 4 cups cooking liquid to a heavy medium pot. Transfer ham hock to a cutting board, then set aside remaining peas and liquid in larger pot.
- Discard skin from ham hock and chop meat, discarding bone. Stir rice and ham into smaller pot of peas with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a rolling boil. Stir, then simmer, tightly covered, over very low heat until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let hoppin' John stand 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, simmer remaining peas and liquid, covered, until peas are tender, about 10 minutes. Serve with hoppin' John.
In the Spotlight: Edna Lewis
Edna Lewis (April 13, 1916 — February 13, 2006) was an African-American chef and author best known for her books on traditional Southern cuisine. In New York City, she married Steve Kingston, a retired merchant seaman and a communist. Shortly afterward, she met John Nicholson, an antiques dealer who in 1949 decided to open a restaurant on 58th Street, on the East Side of Manhattan. She became the cook, preparing cheese soufflés and roast chicken. Café Nicholson became an instant success among bohemians and artists. The restaurant was frequented byWilliam Faulkner, Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Gloria Vanderbilt, Marlene Dietrich, and Diana Vreeland. Lewis remained at the restaurant until the late 1950s. In the late 1960s, she broke her leg and was temporarily forced to stop cooking professionally. With encouragement from Judith Jones, the cookbook editor at Knopf who also edited Julia Child, she turned her handwritten pages into The Edna Lewis Cookbook (1972). This was followed by The Taste of Country Cooking in 1976. The book is considered a classic study of Southern cooking. In 1979, Craig Claiborne of The New York Times said the book “may well be the most entertaining regional cookbook in America”.
I’ve never made this, but I love all the ingredients. This dish seems similar to my grits, a good example of her simple simple simple focus. Mine really needed salt to perk it up, too.
I make this at least every year for New Years. Sometimes when it is real cold and I want some comfort food I also make it. I cheat and use my crockpot. Yum! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. You picked a good one.
Great idea to use the crockpot. I forget I have it sometimes, and it is such a good kitchen appliance.
I only made this once and I suspect the recipe I used left much desired. Based on your recommendation I’ll give Edna’s recipe a try. I’ve come to trust your judgment and if you like something I know it is good. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Yes, I didn’t expect much, but it had great spice and enough flavor from the salt.
I’m a big believer in not “over-gussying”up dishes. I love the simplicity – love that it just needs some salt and pepper and saving this. But I won’t wait until New Year’s!
Yes, no need to wait until New Year’s for this one! Let me know your thoughts on it…
Edna Lewis is such a fascinating woman and lived such a full and enriched life! You have hit the nail on the head with this dish.
Thanks!
I’m learning so much about southern cooking and lovely dishes through this feature on Edna and I’m falling more and more in love with it! This is another wonderful recipe and I love all your additional notes on the recipe. Always appreciate that
This is such a classic dish and if anyone has a rockstar recipe out there, it’s Edna Lewis! Looks great!
Just love the name of this!