This is a classic black eyed peas recipe from the American south. It’s often cooked for New Year’s Day for good luck. You can see the African influence both in the ingredients and in the method of cooking. Typically, it’s served with Akara (bean fritters) or cornbread, but would also work well with Nigerian moin-moin or Cameroonian koki beans.
Prep time 120 minutes/Cook time 50 minutes/Serves 6
Ingredients:
500g (1 lb) dried black-eyed peas
4-5 thick slices of streaky bacon, chopped
150g (5 oz) smoked sausage or turkey, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 celery stick, diced
2-3 tsp garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chilli, minced (can replace with ¼ teaspoon cayenne) [optional]
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 bay leaf
1-2 tsp Creole seasoning
3.5-4l (7-8 cups) chicken (or turkey or duck) stock
75g (2 cups) [or more] collard greens (or you can use kale or the outer leaves of a savoy cabbage)
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 spring onion, chopped, to garnish
Method:
Rinse the black-eyed peas, pick over and discard any foreign objects. Add the beans to a large pot and cover with 7-8cm (3-4 in) of cold water. Set aside for at least 2-3 hours (best overnight).
When ready to cook, heat a large non-stick deep frying pan or wok and dry-fry the chopped bacon until it renders its fat and turns crispy (about 4-5 minutes). Now add the sausage and fry for 2-3 minutes more. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon and sausage and set aside.
Add the onions, celery, garlic, jalapenos, thyme and bayleaf to the oil remaining in the pan and fry for 3-5 minutes, until the onions are soft and transparent. Now add the chicken or turkey stock.
Drain the beans and add to the pan. Season with the Creole seasoning and a little salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 20 minutes.
Stir in the collard greens, the cooked bacon and sausage mix and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the stock has thickened. The final stew should be thick and cream.
Remove the bayleaf and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve over a bed of rice and garnish with a chopped spring onion. I often serve mine with cornbread.
