Black Eyed Peas Recipe (with Ham) (2024)

FAQs

What meat goes best with black-eyed peas? ›

- Tender and flavorful braised pork, like pork chops or pulled pork, goes wonderfully with black-eyed peas.

If you're worried about the salt content of the ham hocks, soak them in water for at least half an hour before cooking. This will help remove some of the salt.

Place beans in a large pot and cover them with 4 inches of chicken stock. Simmer, covered, for about 1 hour. Start checking after 45 minutes to see if they are tender and add more broth or water as necessary to keep them covered.

Canned black-eyed peas are best in recipes that don't require slow cooking or a long cook time, which can make them mushy. If you're using canned black-eyed peas, simply rinse them in a colander to remove any liquid from the can as well as excess salt. Then you're good to go!

Add a tangy dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs for a flavorful salad. Hoppin' John: A traditional Southern dish, Hoppin' John is made by simmering black-eyed peas with rice, onions, celery, and spices like thyme, bay leaves, and black pepper. It's often served with ham or bacon for added flavor.

Do I need to soak black-eyed peas before cooking? Soaking black-eyed peas make the cooking process shorter. The ideal time for soaking any kind of bean in cold water is overnight or 8-10 hours. To speed up the process, try my favourite quick hot-soak method.

To make sure that the meat is clean before boiling, rinse each of the ham hocks with cold water in your kitchen sink. This will help remove any impurities from the meat and cut down on the fatty residue that will float to the top while the ham hocks boil.

After soaking, wash ham thoroughly in warm water. Use a stiff brush to scrub ham thoroughly and remove all pepper and surface mold, if present. Mold is very common on these uncooked hams and is no way injurious (like aged cheeses mold in the aging process).

Boiling ham hocks usually takes around 1.5 to 2 hours. However, the exact cooking time may vary depending on the size of the hocks and how tender you want them to be. It's best to check their tenderness by inserting a fork into the meat. What should I consider when selecting ham hocks for boiling?

Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to simmer; cook for 2 hours or until peas are tender, adding more broth or water as needed.

Can you overcook black-eyed peas? ›

Drain them the next day and bring them to a boil in cold water, then reduce the heat so the water barely simmers: dried black-eyed peas can overcook, and a rolling boil could cause them to break apart. Taste the peas often to check their doneness: They should be creamy but retain their shape.

If your water is acidic, the beans will remain hard. You can add some baking soda to the water to eliminate the acidity.

Collard greens are a traditional pairing with black-eyed peas. Slow-cooked with a bit of bacon or ham hock, they bring a smoky, earthy flavor to the meal. The greens' slight bitterness and tender texture provide a nice contrast to the creamy peas, making for a balanced and flavorful dish.

"If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says.

The soluble fiber in black eyed peas slows digestion, which helps the body regulate blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of blood sugar spikes. This lowered risk makes black eyed peas a healthy food choice for people with diabetes.

Black-eyed peas, though they are actually beans, are said to symbolize lucky coins. Paired with a skillet of cornbread that represents gold, Southern-style collard greens that symbolize dollar bills, and pork recipes that stand for progress, you're setting yourself up for a successful year... and a delicious meal, too!

Well, we definitely think black-eyed go well with collard greens! Cooking up some onions and bell pepper is a good way to start a dish with black-eyed peas.

Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold. For the BEST chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas, no more or less. Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.

Often referred to as hoppin' john, black-eyed peas and collard greens are commonly eaten as part of a Southern tradition to bring forth good luck and prosperity in the new year. As a kid, I wasn't really a fan, especially not with their little eyes staring back at me.