Thursday, January 24, 2013

Lucy's Lucky Black-Eyed Peas

LUCY BURDETTE: Have you had your lucky peas for 2013 yet? I don’t like to get too superstitious, but I also hate to let the new year get too far without having a bowl of these. 

Some folks say that the tradition started when General Sherman and his troops tore through the South, destroying all the crops except the black-eyed peas. Another story claims that while Vicksburg, Mississippi was under siege in the Civil War, they ran out of provisions and were saved by the discovery of the humble black-eyed pea. Whatever the truth, the peas are associated with wealth in the new year!

Besides that, they are low-fat, low-salt, zero cholesterol and delicious! And, remember the ham we baked two weeks ago?
If you sliced and froze some of that, you can add that to the peas along with some brown rice and have a complete meal. Just serve a quick green salad or coleslaw (more luck from the cabbage) on the side, and you’re off.

INGREDIENTS

1 bag dried black-eyed peas
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 box organic chicken broth
Bay leaf
1/2 cup brown rice, if desired
Diced ham, if desired

Salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce

If you haven’t planned ahead and soaked the peas overnight, sort through them, rinse, and then cover with water in a medium pot. Bring the water to a boil, let simmer two minutes, then turn the water off and let the peas sit (covered) for an hour.
Meanwhile, dice the vegetables and saute them until soft in a tablespoon or two of olive oil (5-7 minutes.) When the peas have finished soaking, drain, and add them to the veggies with the chicken broth and the bay leaf. You may also add your uncooked rice. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. If the liquid gets too low, add broth or water so peas stay covered. Add the diced ham in the last fifteen minutes of cooking.

Serve with hot sauce! 
And I wish you wealth, but even more importantly, friendship and lots of good food and good books in the coming year...

And speaking of books, we can't resist reminding you that TOPPED CHEF will be out in May. You can pre-order the book today. And then please follow Lucy on Twitter,  Facebook, and Pinterest too. 

14 comments:

  1. It never mattered what kind of beans my granny made, she always had fried potatoes with onions and cornbread when she made them. New Year's day we always had blackeyed peas with ham hocks and greens of course the cornbread. Granny could make them better than anyone I've ever met. But she was probably the best cook in the world....of course I'm a littl partial. ;)

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  2. Oh Sue, I wish I'd had some of your grandmother's meals! they sound like heaven...

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  3. My southern belle mom forced these beans down us every New Year's Day until I finally grew to like them. There is always a can or two in the cupboard, but now I can make my own. Oh boy!

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    1. LOL Jack! They are really easy to make from scratch not that I will force them on you:)

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  4. Lucy, love the history lesson!!! And the easy recipe.

    Avery

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  5. Black-eyed peas are a staple at my house every New Year's Day. I have a friend who believes they're lucky and swallows them whole because she hates them! Gack! I didn't know about cabbage being lucky, though. Maybe that explains some bad luck. ; )

    I happen to like black-eyed peas and they're so good for us. I believe I'll try your recipe, Lucy!

    ~ Krista

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  6. Does listening to the Black Eyed Peas count? Hmm, probably not.

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  7. This sounds like perfect cold-weather food (feels like minus forty this am in Ottawa, Ontario). Black-eyed peas are not familiar to this Canadian but they sound so wonderful, I've added them to the grocery list. Can't wait to try this recipe. Thanks, Lucy!

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    1. I hope they keep you warm MJ! Saw your picture of the dachshunds all bundled up--so cute:)

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  8. As it happens, we have the last bit of holiday ham in the fridge and (frankly) I just couldn't take yet another split pea soup. You saved the day with this recipe, Lucy/Roberta. We'll be making it for sure. Thanks for sharing and have a lovely weekend. We're shivering here in NYC with below zero wind chill (not as cold as MJ - stay warm, MJ!), but we can certainly use a hot, hearty recipe like this! ~ Cleo

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  9. Good southern tradition: 365 black eyed peas on new years day for luck all year. (That is a lot of peas!)

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    1. That IS a lot of peas! Next time I make these, will have to count how many are in a spoonful so we'd see how many we have to eat! But in the meanwhile, I prefer to bend my superstitions to work for me:)

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