Creole Hoppin - Jean Rice from Vegan Soul Kitchen

Blackeye Peas continue to feature in my kitchen now that I have rediscovered them.  I also haven't had rice for a while and by rice, I especially mean brown rice. So this Creole Hoppin - Jean recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry appealed to me as it sounded like comfort in a bowl.  

In between blogging, reading, gardening, cooking, baking - I have also given my cookbook shelf a tidy up.  D had commented at how dishevelled and disorganised they were beginning to look. I think he exaggerated by describing them as disorganised, but I agreed that the shelves could benefit from reshelving. And in doing so, I found myself flicking though some old cookbooks - wow I cannot believe Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook was published in 2009 and that is how long ago I cooked from it. And it hit me, that I too am growing old. 

Anyway, this Creole Hoppin  - Jean Rice was really tasty and it was comfort food in a bowl. I ate mine with a spoon, whereas D ate his with a fork.  Now how do I describe this Creole Hoppin dish to my readers, I hate to do this - comparing different world cuisines to different ethnic cuisines, but I did find this to be a cross between and South Asian Savoury pilau and Italian risotto.  It was sweet from the tomato and savoury from the spices. 

This Creole Hoppin Rice dish was served with some sauteed chard from the garden, though collard greens would have been more authentic.

Other Creole Style Dishes
Baked BBQ Peas and Rice

Cajun Black Eyed Peas with Summer Vegetables
Creole Style Rice and Beans with Avocado and Kiwi Salad
Creole style Yellow Split Pea,  Red Pepper and Sweetcorn Soup
Green Gumbo 
Southern Style Okra Gumbo

Cajun Black Eyed Peas with Summer Vegetables

I  made this a couple of weeks ago on the weekend as we had no plans to go anywhere and it was pouring outside, very much like today.

I had soaked some black eyed peas the night before and boiled them the following day to use for some dishes, including this one - Cajun Black Eyed Peas with the last of the summer vegetables from my garden plot.  

D liked this dish a lot, mostly because it has sweetcorn in it. He likes sweetcorn. I haven't grown sweetcorn as in the past its not done well. However, I did see a number of gardeners who participate in Harvest Monday do very well with sweetcorn this year, but saying that I haven't seen fresh sweetcorn on the cob being sold at markets - so I guess it depends where you are.  I think we have had an interesting summer this year.  So I may give sweetcorn a go next year. The sweetcorn in this dish came frozen. 

The recipe is adapted from the American Soul Food Chef Charita Jones, also known as Momma Cherri.  I have written about Momma Cherri before on my blog - see here when I made her awesome Sweet Potato Pies and Southern Style Okra Gumbo.

I am sharing this dish with The VegHog who is hosting #EatYourGreens this month and this dish has homegrown courgettes; and Beth's Weekend Cooking.  

Creole Split Pea, Red Pepper and Sweetcorn Soup

I made this Creole style Yellow Split Pea,  Red Pepper and Sweetcorn Soup last month, but I am seriously wishing that I was tucking into it this evening.

It is getting proper cold now.

This golden Yellow Split Pea and Sweetcorn Soup is enhanced with red pepper and a good dash of creole spice blend and fresh thyme from the garden. 

I am sharing this with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Gumbo Z'Herbes aka Green Gumbo

A week or so late, because this bowl of Green Gumbo would have been perfect to showcase during the Easter holidays. Green Gumbo is a Creole dish often made on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday.     

My reason for making it was very different though.  I have lots of greens in my overgrown garden: chard, curly kale and leafy purple sprouting broccoli, so these greens had to go into the pot along with spinach, celery, spring onions, green peppers and the most essential green vegetable: okra which came to me from my mothers (after her visit to the South Asian grocers).  Okra, a vegetable not to every ones taste and I have to admit I never liked it up until a few years ago, I guess with age your tastes change.     

I actually  have two vegan Green Gumbo recipes bookmarked to make, but I chose the one from Celia Brooks World Vegetarian Classics, simply because I have had the cookbook longest. Celia Brooks suggests serving it with some grated cheddar cheese, but we had it simply with some plain white rice.  The gumbo was interesting, it had thickened up by the okra, but it was not gloopy or stringy.  It was actually quite palatable, to enjoy it more though I did have to douse it heavily with hot sauce, but I am a sucker for hot sauce and spice.  

Southern Style Okra Gumbo

In an attempt to blog about food, I scanned through my food photograph on-line file and found this Southern Style Okra Gumbo that I had forgot to blog about.  I had made it some time last year when okra was in season.   

I could be really cheeky and call this a Welsh Gumbo just because it was made in Wales, but I won't take liberties, but it is vegan that much I must highlight. The recipe is adapted from the charming American Soul Food Chef Charita Jones, also known as Momma Cherri.  I have written about Momma Cherri before on my blog - see here when I made her awesome Sweet Potato Pies.

I have not always enjoyed eating okra also known as lady fingers due to its gelatinous and viscous texture, but over the years I have to enjoy it, especially when cooked right, especially when fried to crispness.    Well this is another okra recipe that got my firm approval.  

Baked BBQ Black-Eyed Peas and Rice

My memories of home BBQ's are probably similar to yours - where the menfolk in the house (in my case my father) took over the cooking.  As my father set alight the garden grill, the dramatics commenced.  The rising flames were marvelled and welcomed by our childish woos and ahhs, all of us waiting patiently for the first bite. 

My nephew asked a question a couple of months ago, when he learned that we could be moving closer to family in Wales.  I can't remember his exact words, but it was something along the lines of 'When Nana (Grand Pa) has a family BBQ what are we going to make you and D?'.  I told him it wouldn't be too much of a problem.  D's a demi-vegetarian by association so will eat fish and seafood now and again; and me -I may seem difficult to cater for but I actually think I am not.   I told him not to worry his little head, as I am sure I will be making a veggie contribution towards the family BBQs in the future - what it will be, well that is something we will both have to wait and see.

But back to present day Scotland, where the sun is still blazing - there is no meaty or veggie BBQ taking place in my little garden, however there are some Baked BBQ Black-Eyed Peas and Rice on the table.  The flavour of these beans sure are smoky, with a sweetness from the agave syrup.  The black-eyed peas are so soft that they just melt in your mouth like butter.  The tempeh gives this dish extra texture in the form of bite. I just wish I had served it with some greens on the side.

This recipe comes from Vegan Soul Kitchen and is described by the author Bryant Terry as a remix of Hoppin' John, a dish that is eaten throughout the South in America.  Hoppin' John is especially eaten on New Year's Day when it is thought to bring the eater good luck.

The recipe does not stray that far from the original. But I did have to make a few changes.  I replaced the kombu with bay leaf, omit the lime juice - only because I didn't have any citrus fruit in the flat.  Chipotle in adobo sauce is quite expensive in the U.K, so I just re-hydrated some dried chipotle peppers in hot water and added them to a blender with the tinned tomatoes and other ingredients.  I also increased the brown rice ratio.

This post is linked to Just Another Meatless Monday #70 hosted by What's for Dinner Mom?; Meatless (Vegan) Mondays hosted by Veggie Converter. 
Baked BBQ Black-Eyed Peas and Rice
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
280g dried black eyed peas, sorted, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
2 bay leaves
100ml plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice (optional)
120ml tamari or soy sauce
200g tinned tomatoes
2 medium or 1 large dried chipotle chile, re-hydrated
60ml agave nectar; maple syrup or other sweetener
1 generous teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon dried thyme
250g - 280g tempeh, diced
Method
In a large pot, add the soaked and drained black-eyed peas, bay leaves and cover them with enough water.  Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for 50 minutes or until tender.  Drain the beans, reserving the cooking water.
While the beans are cooking, combine 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, the onions, garlic and pepper in a wide pan over medium heat. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5
In a blender, combine the vinegar, lime, tamari, tomato, chipotle chile, agave, cumin, cayenne, thyme, and 250ml of the reserved bean water and the remaining olive oil. Puree until smooth. Combine the cooked beans with the sauteed vegetables, BBQ sauce and tempeh pieces, then stir well. Transfer mixture to an ovenproof casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While the beans are baking, make the rice.
Brown Rice
200g long grain brown rice, rinsed
400ml water
Method
In a medium pan, combine the rice and the water.  Bing to the boil.  Then reduce the heat an simmer for 40 minutes, until tender.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
In the last 30 minutes of the beans baking, stir in cooked rice and return to the oven.  Serve at room temperature.  Adapted very slightly from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry.

Monday is Red beans ‘n rice day

Over the years, I have come across a number of Creole recipes, but have always erred on the side of caution. From a very young age, I became aware of how some 'ethnic' cuisines can be misconstrued or misrepresented to suit the taste buds and perceptions of the host community. Saucy pasta dishes, doughy pizza bases and fiery curries. For example, in the U.K, a curry night out for the modern lad or ladette sometimes comprises of eating an Indian style curry so hot it burns the roof of your mouth. No self-respecting South Asian family would touch such a dish, let alone eat it. Food should be about flavour.

So understandably I had reservations towards some of the Creole recipes and if they truly reflected Creole cuisine in New Orleans, Louisiana. This perception was also reinforced whilst reading an article on-line a few years ago, that Creole dishes were being misrepresented by some cooks and restaurants, to the extent that it had become wrongly synonymous with blackened grilled fish and hot mouth burning food.

One thing I knew about Creole food was that the dishes were highly seasoned with some sort of pepper, but not overly as the flavour of the main component whether meat, seafood or vegetables should come through. I like the sound of the flavours of Creole cuisine, but with no plans to visit New Orleans in the near future I decided to do a little background research for my own benefit. Not just in relation to food, but also its history, cultural heritage as well as learning the difference between Creole and Cajun.
Anyway, back to Creole dishes, the most well known are Jambalaya, Gumbo and Red beans ‘n rice. Each has a long history and story to tell, but I will share with you one. Traditionally, rice ‘n red beans were made on Mondays, namely because Mondays were wash days and women could wash clothes while they let a pot of beans simmer away. Although this Monday tradition is no longer adhered to, Red beans ‘n rice remains a popular dish for large gatherings and celebrations such as Mardi Gras.
Well guess what today is Monday, and guess what I'm showcasing 'Creole style red beans ‘n rice with avocado and kiwi salsa'. Yes I know it is hardly authentic, but get real, do you think me being where I am - Scotland – that I am going to get to sample an authentic Creole dish. Of course not! But in my mind I am content in the knowledge that I am a little wiser as to what real Creole food should be like and that is what i will expect should I ever sojourn to Louisiana, so for now this is a good compromise.
Creole style Rice ‘n beans with Avocado and kiwi salsa
Serves 4
Ingredients
150g long grain brown rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Cajun spice (see below for recipe)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 x 400g tin kidney beans
3 tomatoes
1 x 400g tin of tomato, blitzed or 200ml passata
Juice from ½ lemon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Cook the rice and set aside.
Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chilli and Cajun spice mix and stir fry until fragrant. Then add the peppers and fry for until the peppers are just tender.
Drain and rinse the beans and add these, together with the tomatoes, passata, lemon juice and herbs and cook gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, heat through and season to taste.

Avocado and Kiwi Salsa
1 avocado
1 kiwi fruit
4 spring onions, finely sliced
Handful of coriander, chopped
Juice from ½ lime
For the salsa
Peel the avocado and kiwi fruit and cut both into small cubes. Then mix all the ingredients together and serve at once, as the avocado will discolour.

Cajun spice mix

Makes about 2 - 3 tablespoons

Ingredients
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground fennel
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

Method

Combine all the ingredients below. Store in an airtight container. Recipe adapted from this book from which I have already been inspired to cook.