Black-eyed Peas are a must for many on New Year’s Day in South Louisiana. Along with other New Year traditions used to stack the deck for good health and wealth in the coming year, Black-eyed Peas are said to represent coins and wealth. Whether that’s true or not, Black-eyed Peas will definitely bring you warmth and goodness anytime you cook them. A Louisiana and Southern tradition since the early days of our country, Black-eyed Peas are comfort food as rich in tradition as they are in flavor. Here is Sweet Daddy D’s simple, no-angst recipe for Black-eyed Peas, simmered in a rich stock with Creole seasoning and Andouille Sausage. Serve this over rice for a memorable and traditional New Year’s fare and I bet you’ll end up wanting these year-round.
Black-eyed Peas with snmothered cabbage and baked ham!
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Here’s What You Need
Simple ingredients, but packed with flavor.
- A pound of dry black-eyed peas (I recommend Camelia Brand beans)
- Meats
- Andouille sausage
- Bacon (or bacon grease)
- Vegetables
- Yellow onions
- Bell peppers
- Aromatics
- Garlic (both whole and chopped)
- Green onions
- Herb and Spice Blend
- Creole Seasoning
- Dry thyme (a natural partner to most beans)
- Ground black pepper
- Bay leaves
- Kosher salt-not added until the end (see the Hints and Tips section below)
- Chicken stock
Basic and simple ingredients
We will put all of this together in a heavy-bottomed 8-quart stockpot. I use a Calphalon like this one.
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Here’s What You Do
First…you have a beer. The long term prep is whether or not to soak the beans. It’s really not necessary to soak black-eyed peas before cooking, but whether or not o soak your beans is often a product of your upbringing. So, your choices are to skip the soaking (and you’ll be OK if you do), do a quick pre-cook by covering the beans with cold water and boiling for 3 or 4 minutes (then discard the water), or go for the full-blown overnight soak (you’ll be OK with that method too!) This is a simple recipe, so make up your mind on soaking, have a beer and read the whole recipe so you know what you need and what you will do with it. Slice the sausage, cut the bacon in small pieces, chop the vegetables, measure out the herbs and spices and the chicken stock. You have completed your mise en place-have another beer and let’s get started.
Fry Sausage and Veggies
Fry the bacon in the stockpot to render the fat. Once rendered, add the sliced andouille to the stockpot and fry it until browned about 5 minutes. Using bacon grease to fry off the sliced andouille sausage gives a tremendous double-barrel flavor. Once the sausage is browned, add the yellow onions and bell peppers until they are softening and starting to brown-about 8 minutes.
Fry the onions and peppers in with the sausage
Next, go the aromatics…add the green onions and chopped garlic and saute a couple of minutes until you start to smell the garlic. Add the Herb and Spice Blend (all except the bay leaves and salt). If things are sticking to the bottom, deglaze with a little chicken stock and stir all that goodness into the veggies.
Add the Black-eyed’s and stock
By now the pot should be a nice batch of sausage and some onions starting to give up some sugar, so it’s an aromatic mix of browning goodness. If you’ve soaked, discard the soaking water. Add the Black-eyed Peas and mix them into the pot. Stir this around really well to coat all the peas and let them saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the chicken stock and increase the heat until it boils. Add in the Bay Leaves and the whole (smashed) garlic cloves and keep it a full boil for about 5 minutes.
Let it all simmer
Lower the heat to a simmer, stir occasionally until it begins to thicken and the peas are soft which should be about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. Cover the pot if it’s getting too thick while the peas soften. If any foam gathers at the top, simply scoop it off with a spoon. Taste the peas to see if they need more spices and add kosher salt to taste. When ready to serve, remove the Bay Leaves and ladle some over rice.
Ready to serve!
That’s it, all there is to it, simple as that.
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Hints and Tips
- Andouille sausage adds an authentic flavor dimension, but you can substitute any smoked sausage or smoked ham you like.
- You can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock or use chicken bouillon cubes according to the directions to make 8 cups.
- Black-eyed peas really don’t have to be soaked before cooking but soaking won’t hurt anything. If you want to soak, but don’t have time, try a quick pre-cook boil. That’s 3 or 4 minutes in rapidly boiling water and you’re done. Just remember to discard the soaking liquid before using the peas.
- Hold off on adding any salt until the peas are cooked, then taste and add salt to taste. There is some thought that adding the salt too early in the process will break-down the peas (or beans) coat. I think this has been pretty much dissuaded, but my reason for holding off on the salt is taste-related. Many commercial creole seasonings, as well as commercial stocks, have a high salt content. Together with the smoked sausage or other meats you may use, the result can be salty without adding any extra. Let it cook a good while, then test it and add the amount of salt you like.
- Black-eyed peas were brought to the West Indies from West Africa by slaves around 1674. It’s easy to see how they made their way to Louisiana and the rest of the South. Black-eyed peas were looked upon as inferior and thus ignored by the Northern Army during the Civil War. As one of the only remaining crops, Black-eyed peas became an important part of the Southern diet during and after the Civil War.
- Black-eyed Peas became a New Years’ tradition, said to bring wealth as the little peas symbolized coins. Greens such as cabbage symbolize paper money. Serve those two along with pork, like ham which re[resemnts prosperity, and you have a pretty good formula for the coming year!
- Are they really peas? Apparently not. Read a little more about that here.
- Black-eyed peas are low in fat and calories and offer some substantial health benefits.
Here are some other recipes from Sweet Daddy D:
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Here’s how you can get some Camellia Brand Black-eyed Peas and some Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock-they are simply the best and all that I use.
Yeah You Right!
Black-eyed Peas
Here's What You Need
- 1 pound dry blackeyed peas SAee Notes about soaking
- 3 slices smoked bacon or 3 tablespoons bacon grease
- 1 pound andouille sausage sliced in medallions or half moons
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion chopped
- 1 small bell pepper chopped
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- 8 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 cloves garlic whole (smashed)
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic rough chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Herb and Spice Blend
- 2 teaspoons creole seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Dry Thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Here's What You Do
- If desired, soak the peas overnight or use the pre-coo boil method explained in the Recipe Notes. Chop the bacon into small pieces, slice the sausage into medallions or half-moons. Roughly chop the yellow onions and bell peppers and slice the green onions. Peel and smash 2 cloves of garlic and roughly chop the remainder. Measure the Herb and Spice Blend (placing the salt in a separate prep bowl) and the stock.
- In a heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-high heat, fry the chopped bacon to render the fat, then brown off the sausage in the bacon grease.
- Add the yellow onions and bell peppers and fry until softened and starting to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the green onions and chopped garlic and saute a couple of minutes until the garlic is aromatic.
- Deglaise the pot with a little of the chicken stock, if needed.
- Add the Herb and Spice Blend (Note-don't salt until the end), except the bay leaves and salt. Mix well.
- If soaking the beans, drain the soaking water from the peas and discard; add the soaked peas to the dutch oven, mix well and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the chicken stock, stir well and increase heat to a boil.
- Add the bay leaves and whole garlic cloves.
- Cook at a rolling boil for 5 minutes, then lower heat to simmer and continue on a low simmer for 1 1/2 hours, covering the stockpot from time to time if getting too thick. Spoon off any foam that gathers on top.
- Stir occasionally until beginning to thicken and peas are soft. Taste for seasoning and salt and add as needed.
- Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice.
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