sortasushi- 11:54 am PDT - Dec 30, 2000 -# 5329 of 9318
an overeating beer drinker with a penchant for cocktails and kink trapped in the body of an overeating beer drinker with a penchant for cocktails and kink.

lauren, i'd make a variation of hoppin' john with your blackeyed peas. the original recipe calls for a mess of bacon, but i've made it vegetarian before and used a good vegetable stock. anyway, here's the recipe.

Vegetarian Hoppin' John

1 cup small dried beans such as cowpeas or black-eyes
5 to 6 cups vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves
2 celery ribs
1/2 fresh jalapeño chile
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup long-grain white rice

In a 3-quart heavy kettle cook , onion, garlic, celery, jalapeño, and bay leaf in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Add peas and broth and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until peas are tender but not mushy or until 2 cups of liquid remain. Add the rice to the pot, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, never lifting the lid.

Remove from the heat and allow to steam, still covered, for another 10 minutes. Remove the cover, fluff with a fork, and serve immediately.

our new year's eve plans include a boneless leg of lamb, perhaps cooked outside on the grill, with a sauce of marsala, crimini and oyster mushrooms, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, and topped with fresh dungeness crab meat and feta cheese. we've got that and several bottles of champagne to see us through midnight.