Black Eyed Peas
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
- 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.
- Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme water oven to 190F/88C.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.