Southern Black Eyed Peas Recipe review. www.africanbites.com/black-eyed-peas-recipe/comment-page-1/ immaculate bites.
♪♪ 'Beans, Beans the musical fruit. The more you eat the more you toot, the more you toot the better you feel...So, let's eat beans at every meal!!'♪♪
Black Eyed Peas or Beans? (Vigna Unguiculata) Bean's according to The LOC.GOV Wise Guide: Are Black Eyed Peas Really Peas? Black Eyed Peas are a variety of the Cowpea and are part of the family of beans and peas. Both peas and beans are legumes and both have edible seeds and pods. According to the Penguin Companion of Food, bean is a term loosely applied to any legume whose seeds or pods are eaten. Beans traditionally were in the genus Phaseolus but now some species including the Black Eyed Peas are in the genus Vigna making them a bean. Legumes are extremely nourishing to both people and soil. They are able to fix nitrogen in the soil. The plant takes in nitrogen from the air and between the bacteria living in the roots becomes converted into useable plant nutrients. So, consider planting legumes this spring when your garden planning.
Black Eyed Peas are recorded in the earliest records of the enslaved West Africans bringing them to the West Indies in 1674. Originally used as food for livestock, they became a staple of the slaves diet. Left behind in the fields, they became an important food for the Confederate South. In American South, eating Black Eyed Peas on New Years Day is Considered good luck and symbolizes money bringing in wealth for the year ahead.
They are the key ingredient in "Hoppin John" apart of the African American Soul food. Originally called Mogette French for Nun. The black eye where the bean attaches to the pod reminded some of a Nun's attire.
Black Eyed Beans provide significant health benefits. www.conserve-energy-future.com Including weight loss, important vitamins and minerals. Promotes Heart health, provides protein, combats anemia and a decreased risk of cancer, Prostate in particular. As they are a good source of fiber they promote gut health. They are high in iron and have a high amount of amino acids. They are an excellent source of Vitamin A that comes in the form of Beta Carotene which helps strengthen Vision and the immune system which is what is needed as we continue to move through this Pandemic. Black Eyed Peas are nutrient dense and a good source of several micronutrients including Folate at 88% DV (Daily Value). Folate is known as Vitamin B9. B Vitamins are needed to make red and white blood cells. They convert Carbohydrates into energy making them a heart healthy addition to your diet. www.healthline.com, www.medicalnewstoday.com. 1 cup per day is shown to provide substantial benefit's.
once again I digress...moving on to the Recipe. Southern Black Eyed Peas (Beans) Hoppin'John is a hearty, warm soulful food. I loved this recipe, as always I followed it according to the directions with a few measurement and ingredient adjustments and found the cooking time to be a bit off by about 30+ minutes. Even with an extended rehydrating time for the beans. Yes, I used dried beans. The recipe recommends to let the beans sit in water for 2 - 3 hours to rehydrate. I soaked mine 4 hours as per my schedule to complete the recipe allotted more time. This step of soaking and rehydrating the beans helps reduce raffinose which can cause gas and bloating. m.huffintonpost.ca has a great article on Pass On The Gas - 7 Ways to Avoid Bean Flatulance |HuffPost Canada... if this is your worry. I cooked the ingredients according to the instructions. I increased the Celery addition from 1 stalk to 4 because I like celery. I didn't have fresh jalapeño so I used pickled jalapeño chopped equivalent to 1 whole jalapeño. I served a dish of these jalapeño's on the side for those who like a little more heat:). I increased the thyme to 3 tsps and added 4 bay leaves for an increased flavor profile. I only used 1tsp of my home made Creole Seasoning, ( I'll include this recipe at the end it's a must in the kitchen) again being sensitive to the general needs of the individual palates eating this dish. I used 8 cups of Chicken broth and chose Kale as I had this on hand. I used thick cut bacon and had mild Italian sausage on hand so used that in place of a smoked sausage. I think the next time I make this recipe I will try the smoked ham hocks. It really makes sense using a smoked meat in this dish!! The Italian sausage worked well and gave good flavor. However, it's in the cooking time that I found this recipe was not true to form. It suggests 30 minutes (or more) until the beans are tender and broth is slightly thickened to your desire. At 20 minutes I checked the beans before adding the cooked bacon and sausage along with the kale, they were still very firm. After an additional 10 minutes the beans were softer but very starchy. I continued to Cook and check the state of the beans every 10 minutes for another 30 minutes. Once the cooking achieved the desired readiness of my beans I then added the bacon, sausage and kale and cooked for the additional 10 minutes. I did not add any additional broth as the consistency of the thin gravy type base was perfect for eating on it's own or over rice as recommended part in parcel with tradition. I did adjust the salt and pepper at this stage and served the green onion's on the side to allow the individual to add themselves along with the pickled jalapeño this dish was complimented with a nice thick slice of corn bread. I always use the recipe on the back of the Purity Cornmeal package for this bread...just use a loaf pan instead of a muffin tin;)!!
I hope I have inspired you to make this dish for your family or guests, I know for sure I will be adding this into my comfort food repertoire, way to go immaculate bites. What a fun dish to serve when ringing in the New Year! May Luck be yours!
Creole Seasoning: 2 1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp b. pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp caynne pepper
1tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme