Make Ahead
Tropical Hoppin' John
- Serves 4
Author Notes
This traditional Southern New Year's Day dish is made and served a variety of ways. I'm staying faithful to the first time I had it, which since it was above the Mason-Dixon probably did not include Ro-Tel, with a few twists. Apologies for the lack of picture, but I served this salad flat over the rice with all the fixins arranged in a Cobb style. —ichibanbrianne
What You'll Need
Ingredients
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1
ripe but not overripe mango
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1/2 bunch
thinly diced whole scallions
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1/3 bunch
chopped cilantro
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1
can of chilled black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
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1
head of shredded romaine
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1/2
diced bell pepper, traditionally green but red is easier to digest
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3
ripe tomatoes, diced and drained
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1 cup
brown rice
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1 tablespoon
butter
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3
stalks of diced celery
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1
chili pepper, de-seeded and diced
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3 cups
your favorite guacamole
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1
lime
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2
lemons
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1 cup
optional vinaigrette
Directions
- Boil water for rice, add salt, butter. and rice. Take this time to prep the rest of your veggies, drain the wet ones, and make the guac. (I used a diced Florida avocado -the size of three Haas avocados, sour cream, a lime, cumin, dried chipotle, cilantro, half a chili pepper, a diced scallion, and two pressed cloves of garlic.) You may want to refrigerate some of them so that the salad's cold upon completion. Drizzle the diced mango with lime juice and some cilantro.
- When the rice is just done. Spread it along a platter and cool it, using the refrigerator or winter air. When the rice is chilled, add the lime juice, half the cilantro and some salt. Arrange the tomatoes in the center, the beans on either side, then the mangoes, and the other vegetables in a similar fashion, to resemble a Cobb salad. Then sprinkle the whole salad with the scallions, cilantro and the juice of one of the lemons. Let guests decide whether the combination of the guac and lemon is enough of a dressing, or use a little vinaigrette if you went to the bother of making one. (I made a ketchup-bacon fat vinaigrette that helps men eat salads.) Enjoy!
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