I love Black Eye Peas in about any manner in which you could conceive to prepare them. My favorite meal with them is pretty simple, serve them up with black bean and corn salsa along with habanero hot sauce. Another meal I have fairly often with black eye peas is to mix them with scrambled eggs along with salsa, Cajun seasoning and hot sauce. Here is another really good recipe which is a hearty soup that is perfect as the weather is now cooling off.
- 2 3/4 cups dried black eye peas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup smoked ham, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- salt and pepper
1. Place the black eye peas in a bowl, cover generously with cold water, and set aside to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain the peas and put into a pot and add enough cold water to cover by about an inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes until just softened. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and bell pepper, stir well and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Transfer to a larger pan if necessary. Add the black eye peas, ham, thyme, bay leaf, stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until the back eye peas are tender.
4. Stir in the rice and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking for 30 minutes or until the rice and peas are tender.
5. Remove the bay leaf. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley or chives.
This recipe serves 4 with 285 calories, 43g carbs, 5g fat, and 18g protein
Note: On a chilly day, I sometimes like this recipe with Cajun seasoning along with a tsp of crushed red pepper