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New Year's: New Year's Black-Eyed Peas

Source of Recipe


From "Deep South Dish" by Mary Foreman



List of Ingredients



• ¼ pound bacon, chopped
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• ½ medium green bell pepper, chopped
  
• ½ cup chopped celery
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• Leftover diced ham and/or a ham bone or ham hocks
  
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked through
  
• 2 quarts hot water, or chicken broth or stock
  
• 1 to 2 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, chopped (optional)
  
• Couple pinches kosher salt
  
• ¼ to ½ tsp black pepper
  
• ¼ tsp Cajun seasoning (optional)
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• Additional water or chicken broth (optional)
  






Instructions



1. In a tall stockpot, fry bacon until cooked but not crisp; add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the rendered bacon fat, and cook just until tender. Add garlic, and cook another minute or so. If you have leftover ham, add it also, and cook until browned.
   
   
2. Toss peas into pot, and lightly stir-fry.
   
   
3. Slowly stir in the hot water, then bring to a full boil.
   
   
4. If you're lucky enough to have a ham bone, stick it in there after you add water but before you add peas, reduce heat to medium, and allow the ham bone to cook by itself for about an hour to deepen the stock. Once that cooks (or if you don't happen to have a ham bone), go ahead and just add dried peas and then the jalapeño, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaves. Then bring it all to a boil.
   
   
5. Reduce to medium simmer and partially cover, cooking for 1 to 1½ hours, or until the peas are tender and creamy. Add additional water or chicken broth, only if necessary, to slightly thin out. Serve over hot steamed rice.
   
   Makes 6 to 8 servings