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Now, let's talk black-eyed peas. They're not just for New Years anymore!

Every year for New Years day my mother makes "Hoppin' John," a traditional southern dish of rice, black-eyed peas (or cow peas), and ham. It's good, though very heavy and, well, "pork-y" tasting. This year I wanted to fix something a little more healthy, while maintaining the hearty spirit of the meal. 

For Christmas I received a wonderful cookbook, The Essentials of Southern Cooking, by Damon Lee Fowler. Mr. Fowler is an avid cook, food-writer, and goes to my home church. When my mother bought the cookbook from him he inscribed on the title page: "For Rhett-- A little taste of home no matter where life may take you! Eat well and live your dreams!" The perfect little message in a cookbook that feels like a direct flight home to Savannah. After flipping through plenty of mouth-watering seafood recipes (much to my chagrin, living landlocked in Tennessee), I came upon a recipe for "Black-Eyed Pea Ragout." I dog-eared it, took it to the grocery store, and came back home to fix it for my mom. 

That night, the only change I made from Damon's recipe was to cook the vegetables in bacon drippings and to chop the cooked bacon and add it later on, which to me added the perfect smokey touch. This time, however, I'm still trying to detox a little bit, so I kept it healthy with olive oil. I'll include directions for the bacon as well though!

A complete recipe in text follows all the pictures! 

Here we go!

If you are not using bacon skip ahead. Cook 6 strips of bacon in a skillet over medium high heat. When it is done, move strips to drain on a paper towel. Reserve the bacon to be chopped.

First, make sure your onions and peppers are chopped! That's 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, and 1 yellow bell pepper. 

This onion made me cry. What a bully.

What constitutes a peck of peppers? 

Isn't this a pretty sight?

Then, heat 1 tbsp of bacon drippings or olive oil in a large pot.

I love EVOO!

Add the onion and the yellow and green bell pepper to the pot with the fat. Sauté, stirring consistently, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and toss till it smells amazing, about another 30 seconds.

Peel that garlic and mince it!

Unless you have a fancy garlic press to do the job for you...muahaha.

Add the black-eyed peas and tomatoes and stir till they are hot hot hot. 

Fiesta colors!

Now add the broth...

What's cookin' good lookin'?

...and the thyme and bay leaves...

So much flavor!

...and the whole hot pepper pod....

So much heat!

Go ahead and season this goodness liberally with some salt and pepper. If you are using bacon, it's now cool enough to chop and toss and stir into the pot. Bring the ragout to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer. Stir occasionally until the peas are tender, about 20-30 minutes. If you're using frozen peas, pay attention, they tend to take less time than fresh peas.

Bubble, bubble...

Taste your ragout and fix the seasonings to your liking. I like to add a few dashes of Cholula here. Simmer for a minute longer before you turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaves, fresh thyme (if you used it), and the hot pepper pod-- you can discard these now.

The peas can be made up until this point up to 2 days in advance.  Reheat them gently over medium heat. Add half the green onions just before serving, then transfer the peas to a warm serving bowl and sprinkle the remainder of the green onions on top! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have; and if you ever stumble upon Damon's cookbook, don't hesitate to get it. It's truly wonderful and I can't wait to continue learning recipes from it! You can also find a bio and many recipes at his website and blog, here.

Black-eyed Pea Ragout with 4-seed bread from Niedlov's Bakery in Chattanooga, TN.

Black-Eyed Pea Ragout (from Damon Lee Fowler's Essentials of Southern Cooking) 

Serves 6

Notes: 

• If fresh black-eyed peas are unavailable, use frozen. Damon notes that dried black-eyed peas make this recipe a little too starchy. Black-eyed peas handle freezing well, and they keep this ragout light.
• The ingredients call for 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes; I use a whole 14.5 oz can, slightly drained. I enjoy a little more liquid in this recipe so it's like a hearty stew.
• Damon suggests that if you prefer a spicy-hot ragout, chop the hot pepper and add it to the ragout with the other peppers at the start of the recipe.

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp of olive oil or bacon drippings (use 6 strips of bacon if you plan to add it into the ragout later)
• 1 medium yellow onion, trimmed, peeled, and chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, chopped
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, chopped
• 2 large or 3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
• 22 oz of fresh or thawed frozen black-eyed peas
• 5 medium fresh tomatoes, peeled with a vegetable peeler, seeded and diced, or 1 cup drained, seeded, and diced canned tomatoes 
• 2 cups of meat or chicken broth
• 2 large sprigs of thyme, or a couple dashes of dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 whole hot pepper pod such as cayenne, serrano, or jalapeño
• salt and whole black pepper in a mill
• 4 small or 2 medium green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. If you're using bacon, cook 6 strips in a skillet till done; rest them on paper towels to cool and drain.
2. Warm the 1 tbsp of fat, onion, and bell peppers in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté, stirring consistently, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and toss till it smells amazing, about another 30 seconds. Add the peas and tomatoes and stir till they are hot.
3. Add the broth, thyme, bay leaves, and whole hot pepper pod; season well with salt and pepper. If you're planning to add the reserved bacon, chop it up and stir it into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender, about 20-30 minutes (frozen peas take less time than fresh ones!). 
4. Taste the ragout and fix the seasonings to your liking. I like to add a little Cholula (or the hot sauce of your choice) here. Let it simmer another minute before cutting off the heat. Remove the bay leaves, sprigs of thyme (if you used them), and the hot pepper pod-- these can be discarded. 
5. The peas can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Just before serving stir in half the green onions; once in their serving bowl, sprinkle the remainder of the green onions on top.

Enjoy!