Ingredients

• 1 lb dried black-eyed peas
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ of a green bell pepper, chopped
• ½ of a red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 ham hock
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• generous grind of black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 bunch collards

Directions

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Add onion, peppers, celery, and ham hock.

Saute until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic and stir until aroma comes, 30 seconds to a minute.

Add chicken stock, water, vinegar, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and black-eyed peas, and heat to boiling.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

Strip collard leaves away from stems and discard stems.

Slice into roughly 1-inch square pieces.

After 15 minutes simmering add collards to pot.

Cover and let the collards sit on top of the pea mixture for about 15 minutes until they wilt and then stir in.

Simmer about another 30 minutes until black-eyed peas are tender, not mushy, and collards have lost their bright green color.

Remove bay leaf and discard.

Remove ham hock. When cool enough to handle, strip any meat from the hock, chop, and add back to Hoppin John.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over rice.