New year’s day black eyed peas

Before I even get into this recipe, can we please talk about how proud my southern nana must be of me right now for making this? Let’s also talk about how proud I am of MYSELF for taking the easy (or arguably lazy) way out and figuring out a faster way to cook black eyed peas that didn’t involve a slow cooker or having to soak the peas for hours on end. Which really was only a result of my lack of planning because I knew I wanted to try to make them on New Year’s Day since it’s such a southern staple for good luck for the New Year, but I didn’t plan ahead of time for any of those contingencies.

All I knew was that if cooked incorrectly, these little peas could taste pretty nasty and that I wanted to use leftover ham from Christmas in the recipe. Oh and also I knew I wanted to make it with cornbread.

Seems like I came across an awesome combination of all the things because this dinner was a total win! Lucky me. Be sure to check out the notes below so you’re amply prepared when you make this one, and adjust around the spice just in case it’s not your thing!

new year’s day black eyed peas

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 2.5 hours

Serves: 4 people

16 oz black eyed peas, rinsed and cleaned

2 tablespoons of butter

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, rinsed and chopped

1 cup of cooked rice

1 cup of cooked ham, diced

1 tomato, diced

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

The first thing you need to do is cook the black eyed peas, after you clean them and soak them. Rinse them, take out any rocks, cover them in a big bowl with water and let them soak for at least an hour* (I soaked mine for 3 hours because I had more time). After they soak, dump them in a huge stock pot, cover with water or broth, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Cook your rice however you like.

While the rice cooks, grab the stock pot you cooked the peas in, melt your butter over medium heat and add in your onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Saute for at least 5 to 8 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add in the celery and the carrots, continue to saute until the carrots become tender. Add in your seasoning and the ham, mix until well combined. Then add in the black eyed peas and mix until well combined and heated through. Now you can toss in your rice that should be done cooking, mix it all up, toss in the tomato and mix some more and BOOM! Dinner is served! Enjoy!

*The rice has to be hot. If it’s not, it doesn’t spread around as well.

**If you don’t have time to soak the peas, no worries. Just make sure you rinse them really well and take out any rocks (or stones) which is a fancy way of saying bad peas.

***Cook the peas in the broth of your choosing for some added flavor!

****You can omit the ham if you want a vegetarian option or omit the jalapeno if you don’t want it to be spicy!

*****Cornbread is optional but highly recommended!