—Brigid Washington
Black-eyed peas are a Southern good-luck tradition for New Year’s Day, one with deep roots in African-American culture.
Simmer the peas with charred onion, chile de árbol and cloves, and they’ll soak up deep flavor. This recipe comes from the chef Mashama Bailey, of the restaurant Grey in Savannah, Ga., who makes it for her New Year's feast. Her family always cooked the beans with ham hocks, but Ms. Bailey prefers to make hers vegan, so all can enjoy it. These peas are also fairly customizable: Purée a portion of the mixture for a thicker sauce, doctor with your favorite hot sauce or dollop with sour cream to add richness.
Ingredients
Yield: 12 servings
2 pounds dried black-eyed peas
1 sweet onion, such as Vidalia, peeled and halved through the root end (keep the root attached)
4 whole cloves
1 garlic head, cut in half
10 black peppercorns
2 dried bay leaves
1 chile de árbol or other small dried chile
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
(Photo Black-Eyed Peas)
Preparation:
Step 1 Put the peas in a large bowl, add water to cover by 2 inches, and soak overnight.
Step 2 Blacken the onion: If you have a gas stove, turn one burner on high and place the onion halves directly on the grates next to the flame and cook, turning occasionally, until the onion is charred on all sides,about 5 minutes. Otherwise, heat the broiler and broil the onion on a baking sheet a few inches from the heat, turning occasionally, until charred, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Step 3 When the onion is cool enough to handle, poke 2 cloves into each half, and add the onion to a large stockpot. Drain the peas, discarding the liquid, and then transfer the peas to the pot.
Step 4 Place the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and chile on a 12-inch square of cheesecloth and wrap tightly, using twine to seal the packet.
Step 5 Add 6 quarts water and the spice packet to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim any foam that collects on the surface, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the olive oil and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring and skimming occasionally, until the peas are fully cooked and the cooking liquid has thickened, 1 to 2 hours.
Step 6 Discard the spice packet, season with the remaining 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste) and the hot sauce and serve.
Traditionally, black eyed peas are eaten on the Jewish New Years (Rosh Hashana), along with other foods whose names signify good luck for the upcoming year. The Hebrew name for these peas is "increase" -symbolizing our wish to have a fruitful year, with many merits.
Okay my first thought is why tie up all the flavor in cheese cloth and discard it, especially the garlic! Even the peppercorns are fine being loose, if you encounter one you can remove it from your spoon or just eat it,which gives a zap of black pepper flavor. And it is easy enough to remove two bay leaves at the end. There is also no note about what to do with the giant onion halves at the end, not to mention the cloves, which is, in my opinion, the main spice I would not want to bite down on.
Note that the "hot sauce" typically used (in collards too) is "hot pickled pepper sauce," not Tabasco et al. It'sa small bottle filled with small green chilis and vinegar. The vinegar is the sauce. The peppers are edible, but not typically eaten, You can just add more vinegar as it gets used. It isn't really very hot.
This time of year fresh BEPs are in many stores. So much better than dried. Canned is just plain awful,especially at as important a rite as this. In a traditional New Years meal, Black-eyed peas are associated with good luck and prosperity, particularly in Southern U.S. culture. They are often linked to coins, specifically copper pennies, symbolizing wealth and financial success in the coming year. As the penny is no longer being minted (except in specific cases),perhaps black-eyed peas should be replaced by Butter beans (large Lima beans) to represent quarters?