This Year's Black-Eyes

This year's black-eyes were the best I have ever made!  This batch didn't have the murkiness that black-eyes often have and I don't know if that was luck (i.e. a good batch of peas) or if the fact that I was so all-the-ball with skimming off any foam helped. 

When cooking the peas, I added a pork shoulder bone that I had in the freezer (saved when we de-boned  and cubed a Boston butt).  I am sure this added to the flavor--but certainly not enough that I would suggest seeking out such a thing.  That being said, I want to encourage you wonderful people to remember to save your bones instead of throwing them away because it does come in very handy to have meat bones in your chill-chest.  Waste not, want not, eh?

We served these peas with the most awesomest cornbread ever.  YUMMY!

Black-Eyed Peas

2 (12 oz.) packages fresh black-eyed peas

5 strips bacon

1 poblano pepper, chopped

1 serrano pepper, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 head garlic, minced  (yep, you read that right--a whole head!)

3 links sausage, cut into medium cubes

Tony Charere's seasoning

hot sauces (for serving)

Place the black-eyes in a colander and rinse them.  Place the rinsed peas in a Dutch oven and add enough water to cover my a couple of inches.

Bring the black-eyes to a boil and then reduce a solid simmer.  Skim any foam that comes to the surface.  Simmer for one hour.  Monitor the liquid level and add water as necessary to keep 1-2 inches of water above the surface of the peas.

Season the cooking liquid with Tony Charere's seasoning.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon strips over low heat until crunchy.  Remove the bacon from the pan and use for another purpose (or eat while drinking beer, Selina!).  Add the poblano pepper, serrano pepper, and celery to the pan and cook until softened.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about one minute).  Dump the whole skillet (bacon fat and all) into the simmering peas.  Cook the peas for another half an hour or so.

Wipe out the skillet and add the sausage to the skillet.  Cook over medium heat until the sausage has browned.  Remove the sausage from the pan and place on a paper-towel-lined plate.  Pat the sausage with additional paper towels until any visible grease has been removed.  Add the sausage to the peas, adjust seasoning if necessary, and cook an additional half an hour (or until the peas are tender and have no starchiness left).

Serve with hot sauce.  (My favorite is the green Cajun Chef sauce.)

Cheers (and Happy New Year!),

Krista