Growing up, my mother would have had a fit if collards and black-eyed peas where not on the New Year's Day supper table. "Eat your collards for the greenbacks you'll get this year, and the peas for coins and good luck," she would announce. Whatever the reason, here's a simple take using both and, when thrown in with the rice, you have a very unique example of the old Southern favorite, Hoppin" John. This recipe was inspired by many of the great recipes at the Kitchens of Africa website. The Yassa sauce is available at Whole Foods Market.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 jar Kitchens of Africa® Yassa Sauce
- Water
- 1 pound fresh collard greens, ribs cut out and chopped
- 1 tablespoon local honey or maple syrup
- 1 pound fresh or dried and soaked black-eyed peas
- The juice of one medium lime, no bottled stuff
- 1 cup cooked rice
Instructions
Heat oil to medium-high in a heavy-bottomed cooking pot. Add onions; cook until brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
Empty Yassa sauce into a crock pot, then fill the jar with water and add it to the crock pot as well. Add the onions and collards. Cover and set the crock pot on low.
Cook for about 3 hours, and then stir in the peas. Cover and cook for another couple of hours, or until the collards are tender and the peas are cooked. Stir in the cooked rice and heat just long enough for the rice to warm, usually 5–10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve immediately or at room temperature. Great as a side dish or by itself for a meal.
