Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
In the Carolinas, folks make a similar dish called Hoppin' John featuring black-eyed peas and rice. This Louisiana version adds an extra layer of Cajun spice in an easy rice cooker recipe.
Recipe by:
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1½ pounds raw Cajun green onion pork sausage (casings removed) or any raw pork sausage
  • 2 (15.5-ounce) cans Trappey’s jalapeño black eye peas (flavored with slab bacon) or any brand of canned black eye peas
  • 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained, such as Ro-Tel
  • 1 teaspoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2½ cups raw long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
  • ½ cup chopped green onion tops, for garnish
  • Hot sauce, if needed
Instructions
  1. In the container of an electric rice cooker, add all the ingredients except the green onions and hot sauce, which will be used to garnish and season the finished dish. Stir to combine all the ingredients and be sure the rice and sausage are distributed throughout. Set the timer following the rice cooker instructions, and let cook. When the timer signals that the rice is ready, do not open the lid. Let the cooker continue to steam on warm for another 30 minutes to bring all the flavors of the dish together.
  2. Open the lid and gently stir the jambalaya. Serve in bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped green onion tops. Serve hot sauce on the side.
Notes
Make sure your rice cooker is large enough (8-cup or larger) to accomodate the ingredients, and be sure the lid seals properly to keep the steam inside the cooker. Be sure to use canned black-eyed peas since dried peas will take much longer to cook than the rice. Get creative: Instead of sausage, ground meat would work great in this dish, and a variation using red beans would be an interesting Cajun combination. Or try a Tex-Mex version using raw chorizo sausage and pinto or black beans. Trappey's brand beans are an old-line South Louisiana product, but most any canned beans will work well. I do not drain the canning liquid before adding; I like how the added flavor absorbs into the rice. I like the spicy addition of the jalapeño in the canned beans, but feel free to leave it out; your guests can always add hot sauce at the table. Also, be sure to buy the "mild" version of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and chiles. Don’t over-stir this dish once cooked at the risk of it becoming gummy. Store any leftovers in the rice cooker and when you reheat, just add a bit of water to steam the rice mixture.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://www.acadianatable.com/?p=16928