Traditional but not Ordinary

I have never tasted black-eyed peas like those served at yesterday’s New Year’s open house.  They were little bursts of flavor that seemed way too upscale for one of the staples of the South.

The open house is an annual affair at my good friend Betty’s penthouse overlooking Georgetown.  She is the hostess with the mostness who has enough money to have it catered.  Every year there are some predictable standards, but also some new dishes which are a complete surprise.

It’s mostly finger food or something that can be eaten off a Chinese soup spoon.  The black-eyed peas were served as little spoonfuls that just melted in your mouth.

It would have been terribly uncouth to eat a dozen or so little spoonfuls, so instead I had to content myself with just a couple and the determination to make my own version of black-eyed peas today.

I found what looked like a good recipe online and bought the ingredients I didn’t already have.  Fortunately I still had CSA black-eyed peas. 



My favorite sous-chef helped chop the onions, red pepper, garlic, carrot, and fennel while I browned the chicken sausage.  Unfortunately I had neglected to read how long the pot of peas had to simmer, so we will be eating a fashionably late dinner tonight.

Here’s the recipe:

Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Sausage

3 tablespoons of Canola oil

1 pound mild chicken sausage
 (in casing)
1 yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded, sliced and diced
½ fennel bulb, diced

1 carrot, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced fine

1 – 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
2 cups of dried black-eyed peas

4 cups of chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste

1 small bunch of cilantro

Soak the peas by covering them with water for 6 hours before starting this recipe. This is not necessary, but will greatly shorten the cooking time.

Heat up a large soup pot or one of those nice cast iron casserole pots if you have one on medium high heat. Add the oil and wait until it gets hot enough to shimmer but not smoke. Add the sausages and cook until they are brown on the outside and cooked through on the inside. This should take about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pot and transfer to a large plate or bowl.

Next you want to brown the onion, bell pepper, fennel, carrot, and garlic in the same pot. There should be enough oil and fat from the sausage to cook them nicely. Be sure to move the vegetables around so they don’t burn. This should take 5 to 8 minutes depending on your stove top and pot.

Add the chopped tomatoes and let them cook down for about 5 minutes. Now you add the washed black-eyed peas and chicken stock. Bring this to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the black-eyed peas begin to get tender. This will take 60-90 minutes depending on whether or not you soaked the peas.

Slice the reserved sausage on the diagonal into ½ inch slices and add them to the pot.  Be sure to add the accumulated juices from the sausages you find on the plate. It adds lots of additional flavor.

Taste the stew and add the salt and pepper to taste.  (I didn't add any salt or pepper and the seasoning was fine.) Chop and add about ¼ cup of the fresh cilantro to the pot and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Stew is ready.