First Friday Shabbat Dinner - March

This past Friday was First Friday Shabbat Dinner at my house. I served Hoppin' Johns and everyone really enjoyed it. I served it so as to accommodate those attending; vegetarian, semi-Kosher and meateaters. It's not hard to make and serves a lot of people.

I served chorizo sausage on the side, as well as cooked chicken thighs that had been seasoned with granulated garlic, thyme, crushed red peppers and a little salt and pepper. I also had a bowl of shredded Monterey Jack cheese available and a sampling of hot sauces. So people could put a scoop of rice and then the black-eyed peas and finish it like they wanted. It's great for entertaining and you only need a salad and bread to compliment it. Try it and let me know how it comes out.

HOPPIN’ JOHNS


16oz dry black-eyed peas, packed in water
8 cups water
For your meat eaters, serve cooked chorizo sausage sliced into disks or diced cooked chicken or both on the side for them to add to theirs.24oz vegetable stock
1 t salt
1 onion, diced
1 – 28oz can of diced tomatoes
½ t pepper
½ t granulated garlic
½ t crushed red peppers
½ t thyme leaves
½ t ground cumin
2.5 cups cooked brown rice
½ cup dice green onions
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 cups cooked brown rice

Cover black-eyed pea with enough water to allow peas to double in size and still be covered. Let sit uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove floaters. Rinse peas well.

In a medium stock pot heat vegetable stock with the rinsed black-eyed peas, onions, diced tomatoes, pepper, crushed peppers, thyme and garlic. Simmer peas for 1-1.5 hours or until peas are soft.

To serve, place brown rice on a plate and top with a generous portion of the black-eyed peas. Top with the shredded cheese and diced green onions. Serve with corn bread and hot sauce.


Serves 10 - 15

For your meat eaters, serve cooked chorizo sausage sliced into disks or diced cooked chicken or both on the side for them to add to theirs.


CORN BREAD


2 cups bread flour
2 cups corn meal
1 stick butter (8oz)
2 cup cooked corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
2 eggs
8 t baking powder
1 T sugar (3 T if you like it sweet)
1 t salt
2 cups of milk

Preheat oven to 425o

In a large mixing bowl mix all dry ingredients. Beat eggs and add to dry mixture, add milk and corn kernels and mix just enough to incorporate all ingredients.

Lightly grease a 13” x 9” x 2” baking pan. Pour batter into baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Test with toothpick or tester for doneness (no batter on it when inserted into bread and pulled out).


Yields 8 large and 16 small servings