Jump to black-eyed-peas recipes
Gentle readers, you’ve made The Colorado Sun so proud. In a June article, you learned about how black-eyed peas could be a lucrative crop for Colorado farmers facing a drier and hotter future.
With open minds, full hearts and empty stomachs, many offered to enlist in the effort to create a market for this particular pea. Yet, you admitted that you need some recommendations on how to cook them. Here’s some great news: Black-eyed peas are easy to prepare in a variety of interesting ways that cross cultures around the globe, and we’ll be your guide.
This story first appeared in Colorado Sunday, a premium magazine newsletter for members.
As a reminder, black-eyed peas are legumes that are native to sub-Sarahan, West Africa. They’re part of a larger category of legumes that are alternately called cowpeas, crowder peas or field peas. Thanks to the Spice Route, an ancient trading network that spanned three continents in the “Old World,” black-eyed peas made their way to several continents. European slavers engaging in the transatlantic slave trade brought black-eyed peas to the Americas, once known as “The New World.”
This familiar crop gave enslaved West Africans a “taste of home” under horrific circumstances throughout the Western Hemisphere. Because of these historic forces, the presence of black-eyed peas is truly global, featured in recipes from West Africa, the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East
Black-eyed peas show up in unexpected places, like early Colorado. In 1858, a German immigrant named Katrina Wolf Murat kept a diary of her experiences in Auraria, the urban ancestor of Denver. At that time, she was the only adult woman in town. (That’s when the city really was “Menver.”)
One diary entry notes a Christmas dinner Murat hosted for an odd collection of bachelor miners and notable residents. She served “venison, sliced potatoes, green beans, black-eyed peas, dried fruit and gingerbread cookies followed by Christmas carols in German, French and English.” How black-eyed peas were available, why Murat chose them for that particular meal and how she prepared them, are lost to history.
Author Adrian Miller and his executive assistant Trinity Thomas, right, place his book “Soul Food” on a table with there dinner food order inside The Blazing Chicken Shack II in the northeast Park Hill neighborhood on Aug. 14, the 13th year to the day that the book was published. A second edition of the book will be published soon. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Despite the good start in early Colorado history, these legumes got decidedly mixed reviews. In 1922, a humor columnist for The Greeley Tribune observed: “Utopia — a place where the boarding houses serve neither prunes, black-eyed peas, nor canned corn.”
Yes, black-eyed peas really need a publicist, and I’m here to help. Fortunately, I have a thousand-plus volume collection of cookbooks from around the world. After leafing through several of them, I found several recipes that should encourage cooks of all ability levels to give black-eyed peas a try.
Here are my salivating suggestions, organized by the parts of a typical meal served on Colorado tables.
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The snacks. Bet you can’t eat just one.
Fried foods often make for convenient snacks, and the ones made with black-eyed peas don’t disappoint. For centuries, West African cooks have made a black-eyed pea fritter called akara. Akara can be made with fresh peas or dried peas that are soaked until they are soft. Some cooks immediately blend the peas into a paste and season with spices. Others soak the peas for a longer period until the outer skin with the “eye” easily comes off when rubbed between fingers. Then the whitish-looking peas are pureed into a paste and seasoned. After chopped onions and spices are added, the seasoned paste is shaped into small balls and deep-fried until a golden color. These fritters show up throughout the African diaspora and are called by different names, but usually with a spelling or pronunciation that’s similar to akara. For example, in Brazil, these fritters are called acarajé.
In the United States, enslaved African Americans made this snack, but it didn’t have an African name. They’re just called black-eyed pea fritters in early Southern cookbooks like “The Virginia Housewife,” which was published in 1824. They became less popular by the 20th century. Interestingly, the de-skinned black-eyed pea fritters look and taste a lot like deep fried cornmeal balls called “hush puppies.” Hush puppies are typically paired with North Carolina barbecue and fried fish in the American South. If you’re wondering about the name, folklore suggests that cooks fed the fried treats to starving, yelping dogs in order to “hush the puppies.”
One can also fry the peas without mashing them up. Chef John Fleer was the first one to introduce me to fried black-eyed peas. Food & Wine describes Fleer as “a driving force behind Appalachian cuisine and farm-to-table cooking.” He’s been involved in several successful restaurant concepts in the Asheville, North Carolina, area, but I met him when he was the lead chef at Blackberry Farms — a high-end resort and culinary destination in eastern Tennessee. The preparation is pretty simple. Just get some precooked black-eyed peas, quickly deep fry until nice and crisp, and dust with salt and a little cayenne pepper.
As you pop them in your mouth, you’ll be reminded of corn nuts. I’m not here to promote addiction, but if you serve a bowl of these at your next social function, you and your guests will have a hard time just eating one. I’m a witness!
Adrian Miller’s order at The Blazing Chicken Shack II: The fried catfish dinner served with a cup of black-eyed peas and a side of potato salad. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
The side dish or how dried beans “swell” with good luck
In many countries, black-eyed peas are a popular side dish, usually made by boiling the peas. Many Americans, especially those in the American South, were introduced to black-eyed peas as part of a distinctive food tradition. When eaten on New Year’s Day, black-eyed peas are supposed to bring good luck, good health or wealth through coins. Beans are an auspicious food in many cultures because the dried beans “swell” when cooked. The increased size symbolizes prosperity. The idea is that eating black-eyed peas on the first day of the year reverberates throughout the entire year.
In the American South, the classic preparation is to boil black-eyed peas in a stock flavored with pickled, salted, or smoked pork, herbs and spices. If rice is added, the dish acquires the folkloric name of “hoppin’ John.” My Southern-born parents raised me in this tradition in the Denver area, and I’ve fully embraced it … even though the prosperity results are quite mixed over the years. Still, it’s a fun tradition to try at least once. Sephardic Jews in Syria also start off the new year (Rosh Hashanah) with a version that uses veal instead of pork. That is additionally spiced with allspice, cinnamon and tomato. Regardless of one’s cultural background, perhaps Colorado cooks can get on board with cooking black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day 2027?
In other cultures, cooks give black-eyed peas their own spin by adding their traditional spices. In Spain’s Emporda region, “Amanida de mongets i bacallà Empordà” features poached salt cod and a vegetable medley of celery, green onions, mint, mushrooms, radishes and tomatoes served on top of a layer of boiled black-eyed peas. Legendary Indian cook Madhur Jaffrey adds cloves, peppercorns, and garam masala to her simmering pot of peas. She also suggests serving the dish with spiced pork chops, yogurt and tamarind juice. Chef Vishwesh Bhatt is a native of Ahmedabad, India, who now cooks at a restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi. In his fusion approach, Bhatt stews black-eyed peas in a way that is reminiscent of New England-style baked beans. Chef Bhatt adds cilantro, cumin, curry, ginger, turmeric and jaggery, a coarse, dark brown type of sugar, for sweetness.
A more refreshing take involves serving black-eyed peas cold, or at room temperature, with a mixture of diced vegetables and spices. The vegetables can include bell peppers, corn, onions and tomatoes spiked with chiles, cilantro and vinegar. In the American South, this dish is often called black-eyed pea salad or “cowboy caviar.” On the island of Cyprus, black-eyed peas are stewed with silverbeet (Swiss chard), garlic, lemon and olive oil. This dish is served either warm or hot. For something closer to home, Chef Eddie Hernandez of Taqueria del Sol in Atlanta, Georgia, fuses his Mexican heritage with Southern sentiment by creating refried black-eyed peas. His preparation uses pieces of chorizo sausage, garlic, jalapeno, onion and tomato with mashed black-eyed peas. Except for the tell tale black spots, one would hardly know the difference from the traditional pinto bean preparation.
Chef Rhonda Banks, center, and cook Michael Bell, right, pull tickets and prepare the orders for the evening dinner service at The Blazing Chicken Shack II with owner Leola Gant, left. The restaurant specializes in soul food, including black-eyed peas. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Peas starring on center plate
Since they are interchangeable, it’s no surprise that black-eyed peas star in bean stews around the world.
Famed Italian cook Marcella Hazan celebrates a recipe melding the garlic, peas, pork shoulder, olive oil, onions, tomatoes and white wine. To the south, down India’s eastern coast, lies Goa, a former Portuguese colony. There’s a classic bean stew called “feijoada” which incorporates coconut milk, garlic, ginger, onions, paprika, sugar, tamarind, tomatoes and turmeric. Even farther south, there’s a traditional stew called a “sambar” that includes black-eyed peas and other beans, asafetida powder, black mustard seeds, chile, coriander, fenugreek seeds, garlic, lentils, onions, tomatoes and turmeric. In Nepal, “Bodi ko Tarkaari” is a black-eyed pea curry that is essentially a sambhar that adds ginger and potatoes and a sliced green onion as a garnish. In the Bahia region of Brazil, diners help themselves to “arrumadinho,” a platter dish that features boiled black-eyed peas surrounded by a tomato salad, sausages and toasted yuca flour.
Dessert, a not-too-sweet surprise
This last course is unexpected, but some cultural cooks serve beans for dessert. In Vietnam, “chè đậu trắng” is a dessert that combines black-eyed peas, coconut milk, glutinous rice (called sweet rice) and sugar. When cooked, the starches in the rice create a sticky texture and a slightly sweet taste.
Colorado farmers are already at work providing a variety of black-eyed peas and other field peas, for the plate. Pueblo Seed & Food Co. based in Cortez has developed three crowder pea varieties: “Fast Lady Northern Southern,” “Red Ripper,” and “Whippoorwill.” You’d prepare these the same way for any suggested black-eyed pea dish.
It’s time that we follow Katrina Wolf Murat’s lead from that 1858 Christmas in Auraria. Black-eyed peas can be the gift that keeps on giving to Coloradans enduring climate change. We just need cooks to get in the kitchen and diners are willing to take a bite. Let us know what black-eyed pea dishes you’re cooking from the ones described above or from preparations that we’ve missed. Here’s to a well-fed future!
A cup of black-eyed peas served as a side to entrees at The Blazing Chicken Shack II. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Johnetta Miller’s Black-Eyed Peas
This is my late mother’s recipe for the black-eyed peas that I ate growing up in Aurora. This is the traditional Southern preparation. If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, remove the meat and a few dashes of a generic, sodium-free, spice blend.
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1 smoked ham hock or smoked turkey wing
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt, to taste
Directions
Rinse peas in a colander and pick through them to discard any pebbles or broken peas. Pour peas into a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for an hour.
Meanwhile, make a stock by placing the ham hock or turkey wing in another large saucepan. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the stock is flavorful, about 1 hour. Remove the hock or wing.
Drain the soaking liquid from the peas and add them to the stock. Make sure the peas are submerged. Stir in onion, garlic, pepper flakes and add the bay leaf. Simmer until the peas are nearly tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and continue simmering until the peas are tender and well-seasoned, about 10 minutes more. Serve the peas warm. If desired, you can pull meat from the hock or wing and add it to the peas.
Southern Cassoulet
I got this recipe from the incomparable Sheri Castle — a longtime friend from the Southern Foodways Alliance and author of “The New Southern Garden Cookbook.”
Makes a boat load — enough to serve at least 10.
Ingredients
1 pound dried black eyed peas or other field peas
8 cups cold water
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups chopped onion
3 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
1/4 cup coarsely chopped celery
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
3 whole cloves
3 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs plus 1/2 cup chopped leaves
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 14-ounce can tomato purée
4 confit duck legs (1 3/4 to 2 pounds total) — could substitute with confit chicken legs. (Confit duck legs are sometimes available at specialty grocers and markets, and can be ordered online)
1/4 cup cold water
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil (if necessary)
1 pound cooked garlic pork sausage or smoked pork kielbasa, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
2 cups coarse fresh savory cornbread crumbs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Soak and cook the peas:
Cover the peas with cold water by 2 inches in a large bowl and soak at room temperature for 8 hours.
Drain well and transfer to a 6- to 8-quart pot. Add the cold water, stock, tomato paste, onion, and 2 tablespoons of the garlic.
Place the celery, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, parsley sprigs and peppercorns in a square of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with string to make a bouquet garni. Add the bouquet garni to the peas. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until peas are almost tender, about 45 minutes.
Stir in the tomato puree and simmer until peas are just tender, about 15 to 30 minutes more. The peas should be fully tender, but not mushy.
While the peas simmer, prepare the duck and sausage:
Remove all skin and fat from duck legs and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a large heavy skillet with 1/4 cup cold water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the water cooks away and the fat renders, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the skin turns into crisp cracklings, about 6 to 10 minutes more. Transfer cracklings with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Leave the fat in the skillet. There should be at least 1/4 cup; if not, add enough olive oil to make 1/4 cup.
Separate the duck meat from bones, leaving it in large pieces, set aside in a bowl. Add the bones to the pea pot.
Reheat the duck fat over medium heat. Brown sausage, working in batches, in the fat. Add the browned sausage to the bowl of duck meat. Set the fat aside.
Make bread crumb topping:
Reheat the fat in the skillet over medium heat.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of garlic to the fat in the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Stir in the bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and the reserved duck cracklings.
Assemble the cassoulet:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Remove and discard the bouquet garni and duck bones from peas. Stir in the browned sausage, duck meat and the remaining salt and pepper. Ladle into a large, shallow ceramic casserole dish, distributing the meat and peas evenly. The meat and peas should be level with the liquid; if they are submerged, ladle off the excess. Save the excess liquid for reheating the cassoulet; store covered and refrigerated.
Spread the bread crumb topping evenly over the cassoulet.
Bake until the crumbs are golden brown and the cassoulet bubbles, about 1 hour.
Make-ahead notes
The baked cassoulet can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. (Many people believe it improves with age.) Bring to room temperature and cover with aluminum foil and before reheating in a 350° oven for about 40 minutes.
The cassoulet tastes best when assembled, but not baked, 1 day ahead. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. When ready to bake, bring to room temperature before baking. If the peas have absorbed all of the visible liquid, pour the reserved liquid around the edges without soaking the crumb topping.
Refried Black-Eyed Peas
This recipe comes from Chef Eddie Hernandez of the Taqueria del Sol restaurant in Atlanta. It originally appeared in the “Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook.”
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Ingredients
1 large tomato
1 jalapeno chile
½ cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
½ cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves
8 ounces dry chorizo, finely chopped
6 cups cooked and drained black-eyed peas
Salt
Directions
Preheat the broiler. Rub the tomato and jalapeno with 2 teaspoons of the oil and place them on a baking sheet. Broil the vegetables, turning with tongs, until they are lightly charred all over. Cover with a towel and set aside until cool enough to handle. Core and coarsely chop the tomato, collecting the juices in a bowl. Scrape off the stem and charred jalapeno skin with the tip of a paring knife. Coarsely chop the jalapeno, discarding the seeds to reduce the heat, if desired. Puree the tomato, its juice and the jalapeno in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 1/2 cup of oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chorizo and cook until the chorizo renders its fat, about 5 minutes. Stir in the black-eyed peas and pureed tomato mixture. Cook until the peas start to break down, about 30 minutes, then mash some or all of the peas with the back of the spoon. Season with salt. Serve hot.
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Dining and Cooking