Nishta’s New Year’s Day Black-Eyed Peas
Cooked the traditional Southern way.
Ingredients
- 2 cups black-eyed peas soaked in cold water for 8 hours, then drained
- Some type of meat to serve as a flavoring agent: 2-4 strips bacon, a little bit of salt pork, a smoked ham hock or turkey wings
- Aromatics: 1-2 diced yellow onions or a bunch of green onions chopped, plus 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- Seasonings: salt & pepper for sure (and a couple of bay leaves if you’re feeling fancy)
- 4 - 6 cups Liquid: stock or broth is preferable as it will amp up the flavor, but you can use water if you need to
Instructions
- If you’re using bacon or salt pork, dice it up and crisp it in the bottom of a large stock pot with a bit of neutral oil (like Canola). If you’re using a ham hock or turkey wings, you can skip straight to the aromatics.
- After you’ve got some good grease coating the bottom of the pot, add your aromatics and sauté them over medium-low to medium heat until you get a bit of color on them. (Color = flavor!)
- Season with some salt and pepper, erring on the conservative side if you are going to add stock, and on the more generous side if you’re going to add water.
- Toss in the peas, the liquid, and the bay leaves, if you’re using them. This is also the time to slip in a ham hock or turkey wings.
- Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cooking until peas are tender, which will take between 1—1 ½ hours.
- Season to taste, adding more salt or pepper accordingly, then give the peas a few minutes to absorb seasoning before you serve. Enjoy!
Notes
This is an excellent dish in which to use up any post-Thanksgiving turkey stock that may be taking up room in your freezer! If you want your peas more broth-y, use 6 cups of liquid. If you want them thicker, use more like 4 cups of liquid.