Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

Advanced Preparation

• ½ pound (1 cup) dried black-eyed peas
• 3 cups water

For cooking the peas

• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ½ cup rendered bacon fat (or beef tallow)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 slices smoky bacon, diced (or use the meat of a smoked ham hock if you prefer)
• 1 medium onion, peeled, and diced
• 1 rib celery, trimmed and diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon sea salt (or to your taste)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to your taste)

For serving

• Pickled pepper rings and juice
• Green onions, trimmed and sliced in rings

DIRECTIONS

1. Give the peas a quick sorting and discard any damaged ones or stray pebbles/debris. Then soak them over night (very important to do) covered in the fresh water. Drain them and proceed with the recipe.
2. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme water oven to 190F/88C.
3. In a large (gallon/0.9 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch, put the peas and all ingredients for cooking them and gently squeeze the pouch a few times to combine; use the displacement method (Archimedes Principle) to remove as much air as possible and zip the seal.
4. Submerge the pouch in the water oven to cook for at least 3 hours. (Open the pouch at 3 hours and remove a few peas to check for tenderness and flavor/seasoning. If not tender cook another 45 minutes to 1 hour more. Season with additional salt or pepper if needed at serving.)
5. Open the pouch and pour the peas into a warmed serving bowl. Garnish with the sliced green onions and pass the pepper rings and brine for those who want it.

Serving suggestions:

• Serve peas and their juices over steamed white rice or atop split, buttered pieces of warm corn bread, along with a mess of boiled well-seasoned, mixed greens (collard, turnip, mustard) and canned, whole tomatoes.