Black-eyed peas and a Happy New-ish Year!

Recipes: Black-eyed peas, Seared lamb loin chops

Yes, I know the season for Happy New Year has more or less passed. I was out of town for New Year's, however, so I didn't get to make traditional good luck black-eyed peas like I usually do. Better late than never, don't you think? I decided to make them last night with lamb chops, and they were pretty delicious!

This method of cooking dried black-eyed peas will work for almost any dried pea or bean. The difference is black-eyed peas (and lima beans and split peas) cook a lot more quickly than other kinds of dried beans, and without soaking. To me, black-eyed peas are one of the tastiest of the dried legumes and they can easily be made in an hour for dinner. I think you'll want to add this one to your cooking repertoire!

Black-eyed Peas

I pack a lot of vegetables into my black-eyed peas. Why not make them as tasty and nutritious as possible? Then they can stand alone as a vegetarian or vegan dinner, possibly served with steamed brown or white rice, or they can be a base for a simply cooked meat, like the seared lamb chops I served them with last night.

• 1 cup picked over and rinsed dried black-eyed peas
• 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion, white or yellow
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped small
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed and chopped
• 1 small dried mild or spicy pepper, seeded and broken into small pieces, or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 small bay leaf
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt butter and heat oil together. Saute the onion, carrot, bell pepper, and dried pepper for a few minutes, stirring, and then turn the heat to low, add a sprinkle of salt, cover the pot, and let it cook slowly for 15 minutes. Stir it once during this time.

Add the black-eyed peas and stir them into the vegetables. Add 2 cups water and the bay leaf and bring the pot to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer the peas, uncovered, until they are tender. This should take about 40 minutes, and you will need to check the pot and stir it several times while it is cooking. You should always be able to see some liquid. If the liquid cooks away, add another half cup of water. Toward the end of 30 minutes, taste the peas to see if they are soft. When they are nearly soft, and not before, add 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) and the dried thyme. Stir well and continue to cook over medium low heat until the peas are completely soft but not falling apart. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

You can let the peas sit, covered and with the heat off, while you prepare meat or whatever you are serving with them. For the lamb chops, I used tiny loin chops so I planned on two per person. I salted and peppered them when I started the peas, so the seasoning would marinate into the meat a bit. Once the peas were done, I heated a cast iron skillet with a bit of olive oil and sauteed the chops 3 minutes on each side over high heat. Then I let them sit on a plate for 10 minutes to finish cooking and adjusting their juices. To serve, I put two big spoonfuls of peas in a soup plate and arranged the chops on top, pouring juices from the chops that had gathered on the plate over it all. I finished it off with a little dollop of mango chutney on top of each chop.

We ate in front of the fireplace and a roaring fire. It tasted great on a rainy winter night!

Happy New-ish Year!!