Dessert: Hoppin' John Cakes with Grilled Tomato and Black-Eyed Pea Salsa Recipe | MyRecipes

Recipe by Sara Foster & Scott Howell You can make the salsa up to three days ahead and form the cakes the day before--just cover and refrigerate until ready to fry. Prep: 20 minutes; Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Arborio rice
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1 cup frozen black-eyed peas
1 small red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese or chèvre
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups Japanese breadcrumbs*
1/3 cup canola or safflower oil, divided
Grilled Tomato and Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

Instructions

Simmer broth in a large saucepan. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan; add rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir about 2 minutes or until rice turns translucent. Reduce heat to medium, and add about 1/2 cup hot broth, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Repeat procedure with remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Cook 25 minutes or until rice is cooked but firm.
Cook peas according to package directions; drain. Add peas, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, onion, and next 7 ingredients to rice, and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Form 1/3 cup mixture into a 2-inch round cake about 3/4 inches thick. Repeat to make about 11 more cakes.
Place breadcrumbs on a plate, and roll cakes to coat. Shake off excess breadcrumbs.
Heat half of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half of the cakes 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain cakes on a paper towel, transfer to a baking sheet, and place in warm oven. Add remaining oil, and repeat process with remaining cakes. Serve warm topped with Grilled Tomato and Black-Eyed Pea Salsa.
*For testing purposes, we used Panko for Japanese breadcrumbs.