Camellia’s Black Eyed Peas

by Southern, Veggies

I adapted this recipe from a package of Camellia Black Eyed peas.  The original recipe called for sage and thyme. Plus, it only called for onion and garlic. I added the poblano, celery, and carrot. I liked the texture achieved by cooking the vegetables in a separate skillet. The original recipe called for “Cajun seasoning” to taste. I added cayenne instead of using a commercial seasoning blend. Feel free to play around with the seasonings.
 
Hint:  We freeze onion, celery, and garlic trimmings during the week. This way we can always quickly make up a vegetable stock on demand. I prefer to buy smoked pork neck bones; and then make up a pork stock a day in advance. Here’s Emeril’s recipe for pork stock. (It’s for one gallon; so maybe you’d want to make up half.
 
By the way, the Camellia Brand website has a ton of recipes worth browsing. (https://www.camelliabrand.com/recipes/)
 
Ingredients
 
1 lb. Blackeye Peas
6-8 cups stock (Chicken, vegetable, beef, or pork)
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 Poblano pepper, cleaned and chopped.
1 carrot, chopped
2 T cooking oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Cayenne, ground
1 tsp sugar
1 splash red vinegar
1-2 T Worcestershire  sauce
Splash of Louisiana hot sauce
 
Instructions
 
Rinse peas thoroughly and place in heavy pot. Add 6 cups of stock. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Cover; reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to boil 30 minutes. In the meantime prepare the vegetables to saute in a separate skillet.
 
Heat cooking oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions for a minute or two; then add celery, carrot, poblano, and garlic. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook until softened a bit; then add to the pot of peas.