Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Swiss Chard

Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Swiss Chard

1/10/13

Makes about 8 servings

Prep time 20 minutes

Cooking time 90 minutes

Hoppin’ John is dish of black-eyed peas and rice from the southern United States traditionally served on New Years Day to bring good luck during the New Year. It is thought to eat this dish on New Year’s Day will bring you prosperous year filled with luck.

The black-eyed peas are symbolic of pennies or coins and a dime is sometimes thrown into the cooking pot. Hoppin’ John is traditionally served with cooked greens like collards or mustards. This bright green food is symbolic of money, further adding to your wealth in the New Year!

On the day after New Year’s Day, leftover Hoppin’ John is called Skippin’ Jenny.

My black-eyed pea stew is perfect on a cold wintery night. It incorporates the greens right into the stew. It’s not a quick weeknight meal, but one I put on the stove in the late afternoon on a day-off. The savory, spicy and sweet flavors all compliment each other. It’s delicious served over my garlicky-cheesy grits, brown rice, quinoa or with a side of cornbread.

“Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year!” Here’s to a prosperous 2013 for all of us!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried smoked paprika

1 tsp sea salt

pinch of dried chipotle chili powder

pinch of black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped

2 large swiss chard leaves, stems removed and finely chopped, leaves sliced into fine ribbons

1 cup dried black-eyed peas

28oz can chopped tomatoes

5-6 cups water

1 vegan sea salt & herb bouillon cube

1 tsp prepared Dijon mustard

1 tsp agave syrup

Optional: 6 vegetarian breakfast “sausages”, sliced into chunks 

1. In a large pot warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until browning, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Add the basil, thyme, paprika, chipotle, salt & pepper. Stir and cook with onions for a few minutes until aromatic.

3. Add the garlic, celery, carrot, fennel, swiss chard stems, black-eyed peas, tomatoes and stir until mixed.

4. Add the water, bouillon, mustard and agave. Cover with lid and bring to a boil.

5. Once boil, reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

6. After one hour add the swiss chard leaves and optional sausage. Let cook for 5 minutes.

7. Taste and check spices. Adjust with more basil and salt as needed for your preference.

8. Serve over grits, rice or quinoa. Or with a side of cornbread. 

Creole Spiced Black Eyed Peas with Root Vegetables & Mustard Greens

Hi friends!

Happy Weekend to you! Let's get right down to it. I love black-eyed peas. They are tasty, super nutritious, and economical. I bought 1 pound, roughly 2 cups, out of the bulk bin and it cost me .82 cents! Very nice for our budget conscious shopper. I like black-eyed peas in soup, in a yummy mango salad and in this stew-type recipe with lots of veggies. I love both the sweet and spicy flavors of this dish. The mustard greens add a nice tangy bite. I serve this dish over cornbread with the juices dripping all through the cornbread. You could also serve it over brown rice or quinoa. You could substitute collards, chard or kale for the mustards. Oh and don't forget the Sweet Tea! Enjoy!

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Post Script: What's interesting is I wrote this blog post on 1/21/10 and then 5 days later in the Jan 26th 2010 Oregonian Food Day there was an article about adding greens to bean dishes. I think they stole my idea! Clearly I'm ahead of the foodie trends! Ha-Ha! Check out their article on greens in bean dishes and their article on cooking with dried beans.

Creole Spiced Black-Eyed Peas with Root Vegetables & Mustard Greens
Makes 5-6 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled & diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
4 carrots, cleaned & sliced
4 stalks celery, cleaned & sliced
1 turnip, peeled & diced
1 parsnip, peeled & sliced
1 yam, peeled & diced
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried mustard
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry black eyed peas
water
1 tsp prepared Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
salt & pepper
1 bunch mustard greens, washed, stemmed & chopped

1. In a stock pot heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes
3. Add the basil, thyme & dry mustard. Stir well. Cook for another minute until the spices are fragrant.
4. Add the black eyed peas and bay leaves to the pot. Add enough water to cover the mixture. About 3 cups. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium and let simmer.
5. Simmer for about 45-60 minutes. You want the beans to be fully cooked, but still firm and not mushy. Most of the water should be absorbed.
6. Turn off heat. Add the honey and the prepared mustard. Stir until mixed. Add salt & pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings and add more basil & thyme if needed.
7. Add the mustard greens to the pot and stir until combined. Remove pot from the heat. You want the mustard greens to be slightly wilted but still bright green and slightly crunchy.
8. Serve over cornbread or brown rice. Both absorb the juices of this dish and are a great compliment!