I want the weather to be cool so badly, and I can’t stop thinking about winter food I want to cook such as short ribs slow-cooking in red wine, or some gumbo or dishes made with dried peas. It’s the latter that has been on my mind since I received my bag of Sea Island red peas from Anson Mills based in Columbia, South Carolina.
I love peas or beans and rice whether it’s Hoppin’ John or black beans on rice with avocado, lime juice and a splash of olive oil, or butter beans and rice.
I think I may have told you about Camellia brand beans. I’ll recap: a few years ago a friend came to town to visit her mother and brought a batch of red beans and rice unlike any I had had. The secret was that she used Camellia kidney beans which were so much more tender and creamier than any canned ones I had ever had. I became a fan and pick them up in grocery stores when I head to the coast or New Orleans. More stores are carrying them, and I think that our local Walmart carries Camellia.
I learned about Sea Island red peas on one of my food field trips. They came from Africa and then were grown along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. Eaten fresh, they were served with rice as “reezy peezy” and became the field pea of choice for Hoppin’ John. They are small, more like the size of a black-eyed pea than a kidney bean, and are less dry tasting than crowder peas. However, they are hard to find (I’ve only been able to source them at Anson Mills). In any of the following recipes feel free to substitute black-eyed peas or other smaller field pea.
LOW COUNTRY HOPPIN’ JOHN
Serves 6-8
For the peas:
2 quarts pork stock or chicken stock
1 cup Anson Mills Sea Island red peas, soaked in a pot of water in the refrigerator overnight
1 1/2 cups medium dice onions
1 cup medium dice peeled carrots
1 1/2 cups medium dice celery
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fresh bay leaf
10 thyme sprigs
1/2 jalapeno, chopped
Kosher salt
For the rice:
4 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup Anson Mills Carolina Gold Rice (or rice of your choice)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
For red pea gravy:
Reserved 1 cup cooked red peas
Reserved 2 cups cooking liquid from the peas
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Cider vinegar
Sliced chives or scallions for garnish
(Source: Sean Brock, The Splendid Table)
ANSON MILLS HOPPIN’ JOHN BURGERS
Makes approximately six burgers, depending on size
3/8 cup Sea Island Red Peas
3/8 cup rice
Salt
Olive oil
3 small shallots, minced (3 tablespoons)
1 medium garlic clove, minced (1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup whole raw almonds
2 tablespoons raw shelled sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame tahini
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 small carrot, peeled and coarsely grated (1/2 cup)
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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