black-eyed peas

These are my New Year peas—love 'em.

black-eyed peas with lemon, garlic, and cumin

1 lb. dry black-eyed peas
a big onion, chopped
a head of garlic, peeled and smooshed (or a half if you're skittish)
a bay leaf
a chili, halved and seeded
peel of a lemon, finely chopped
juice of a lemon
1 TBSP cumin (or more)
salt and pepper

Rinse the peas and soak for an hour or so; drain and rinse again. Add the peas to a big ol' pot and cover by two inches with water, then add the rest of the ingredients. I start out with about a TBSP of salt, but check the flavor about an hour into the simmering.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for a couple of hours or until the peas are soft. You're going to want to check the water level often - if you like your peas juicy (like me) you'll probably have to add a few cups of water once they start to cookin'.

Just before serving, taste for salt and squeeze another lemon's worth of juice to the pot.

This makes a shitload - be prepared to freeze some.

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