Hoppin' John

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried field peas or black-eyed peas
• 4 oz slab bacon or a small smoked ham hock
• 1 medium onion
• 2 celery ribs
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups Carolina Gold or other long-grain white rice
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 4 spring onions
• Hot pepper vinegar, to serve

Before you cook

• Sort through the dried peas and discard any stones or shrivelled peas.
• Cover the peas with cold water by two inches and leave them to soak for at least four hours or overnight.
• Drain the soaked peas and rinse them under cold water.
• Cut the slab bacon into half-inch dice.
• Peel the onion and chop it finely.
• Chop the celery finely.
• Peel and mince the garlic.
• Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear, then drain it well.
• Slice the spring onions thinly on an angle.

Steps

1. Set a heavy pot over medium heat and add the diced bacon.
2. Cook the bacon for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has rendered out and the edges are browned.
3. Add the onion and celery and cook them for 5 minutes, until softened and glossy.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds, just until it smells sweet.
5. Tip in the drained peas along with the bay leaf, thyme, cayenne and the 4 cups of water.
6. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat until the surface barely trembles.
7. Simmer the peas uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, until they are tender but still holding their shape.
8. Stir in the salt and taste the liquid, which should taste like a good savoury broth.
9. Lift the peas out with a slotted spoon into a bowl and set them aside.
10. Measure the liquid left in the pot, top it up with water to make exactly 2 1/2 cups, and return it to the pot.
11. Stir the drained rice into the liquid and bring it back to a boil.
12. Cover the pot, drop the heat to its lowest setting, and cook the rice for 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
13. Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes to finish steaming.
14. Fork the reserved peas gently through the rice so the grains stay separate.
15. Scatter the spring onions over the top and serve with hot pepper vinegar at the table.