Taking a few liberties with this New Years Day staple that it warrants a slight re-brand, this is a smoky, tangy and hearty dish to celebrate New Years Day, or nurse a New Years Eve hangover.
Ingredients
1 cup dried or 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
3-4 strips bacon, diced (or 2 Tbl olive oil)
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbl Bobbie’s Boat Sauce, Classic or Hot
1 tsp dried thyme
1 ½- 2 cups homemade meat or vegetable stock, or water.
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Pre-cook your dry black-eyes al-dente (per label instructions) or start with prepared peas available in the produce section of your market. Alternatively, use canned peas. Drain.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, cook bacon on low, rendering fat but not browning.
If you’re making this dish vegetarian, heat oil and then your onion, cooking them slowly and also avoiding browning. Scrape the bottom of the pan as needed and cook for about 10 min.
When bacon and onions are uniformly cooked, add celery and thyme, then Boat Sauce. Bring up heat to sear the flavors (without burning) then add your peas, then stock, taking care to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. For a soupier dish, add the maximum liquid.
Bring to a boil then down to an active simmer for about 10-15 min, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with steamed rice and collard greens, prepared to your liking.
