December 27, 2011

Holiday Cheer - Black-Eyed Peas

Many of you may know that Black-eyed Peas on New Year's Day are supposed to bring you luck. Growing up, we had peas out of a can and they were NOT my favorite. So, for many years we didn't have them as tradition said we should. Then I found this recipe in a newspaper and tried it. I love it, as do my family.  

Southern Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

1 1-pound pkg dried black-eyed peas
2 quarts water
1 onion, chopped
¼ green pepper, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
Ham bone, piece of salt pork or several slices of bacon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash the peas; soak overnight or at least 5-6 hours.

Pour off soaking water; put peas into a large sauce pan with at least 2 quarts water.  Add remaining ingredients.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Cook about 2 hours or until peas are tender and mash easily.  Add water as needed while cooking.

Serve with fresh cooked rice and cornbread.





Cute Graphics

The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months! -- Edward Payson Powell

10 comments:

Becky said...

I wonder if the Black-eyed Peas would taste better making them this way instead of out of a can. I think I will try this for New Year's Day. I didn't realize they are supposed to bring you good luck until I moved to the south. The tradition in my family was to eat some kind of pork on New Year's day.

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Becky, this are SO MUCH BETTER THAN CANNED PEAS! I love this recipe and make sometimes other than New Year's Day.

Callie said...

Sounds yummy. Happy New Year.

Unknown said...

I've always liked canned Black-eyed peas, and this sounds so much better. If making them will bring luck, I'd better get out and buy the ingredients. I'm looking forward to something better. :) Thanks for sharing.

Paul McDermott said...

Sound very similar to a local delicacy known as "black peas" in a (very!) small area of N. Lancashire [UK] around the mining town of Wigan.
They're NOT black (in the uncooked state they're BROWN!) and they aren't peas - they're actually a form of BEAN. They're cooked until they mush up as you describe, and the stick of celery is NOT part of the recipe, but everything else is soooo familiar I'm convinced it's the same recipe!
Served with good old English style fish 'n' chips over here!
Can you smellellellellell what the Rock's cookin' tonight?
[RAW wrestling fans will know what I refer to!]

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Ginger, I find the canned peas dry, that makes sense. Since we went to the in-laws for Christmas Day meal, I bought a ham to make this week (probably tomorrow night), just so I'd have the ham bone for the peas!

Paul, our peas are black, with a white spot on it, which is the 'eye.' The first time I made them, much to my mother's horror, I didn't make rice. Now, I know better!

Angelyn said...

That recipe sounds wonderful--especially since I'm from an out-of-the-can family, too. Thanks for sharing it!

Caroline Clemmons said...

Anna Kathryn, we always had home canned or frozen black-eyed peas because someone always had a garden. We like the peas picked young with plenty of snaps in them. Now we're reduced to buying them. By the way, now I'm soooo hungry for ham and black-eyed peas, thank you very much.

Mary Preston said...

I've never eaten a Black-Eyed Pea in my life. Just the green peas. I doubt I could get them here.

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Mary, Black-eyed peas seem to be a southern US thing, though I know you can get them throughout the U.S. I can send you a bag of 'em if you want....it'd probably cost triple in postage than the peas cost....actually, as Paul pointed out, they are more beans than peas.