Black-Eyed Pea Cassoulet Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is traditionally served with black-eyed peas? ›

Black-eyed peas are served with rice in the traditional Southern U.S. dish called “Hoppin' John” for New Year's Eve. Or, the peas can be part of a soup. In Italy, lentils mix with pork for a lucky dish.

- The lean and savory taste of grilled chicken or turkey complements the earthy flavors of black-eyed peas. - Smoked sausages, such as andouille or kielbasa, add a smoky and robust flavor that enhances the dish. - Tender and flavorful braised pork, like pork chops or pulled pork, goes wonderfully with black-eyed peas.

Canned Black Eyed Peas are fully cooked. In fact, you don't want to cook them too much longer or they start becoming mashed beans. Because they're fully cooked, you could eat them right out of the can, if you wanted. This makes them great for salads.

Your Beans Will Cook Faster

Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.

The crop was brought by enslaved Africans in the 1600s as they were transported to the Americas. West Africans have long considered black-eyed peas a good luck charm that warded off evil spirits, and they are often served on holidays and birthdays.

Exactly how the tradition came to be isn't as clear. Some researchers say it originated during the Civil War when union soldiers raided Confederate lands, taking items, but leaving the peas behind. They say, those peas kept confederate families fed, potentially giving them their reputation for good luck.

“Black-eyed peas are an affordable source of plant-based protein and an excellent source of fiber, which helps you feel full longer and plays a role in heart health and keeping blood sugar stable,” Msora-Kasago says.

The bottom line. Black-eyed peas are highly nutritious and associated with many impressive health benefits. In particular, they may help support weight loss, improve heart health, and promote digestive health. They're also versatile, delicious, and easy to incorporate into a number of recipes as part of a healthy diet.

Canned black-eyed peas can be seasoned to enhance their flavor. Common seasonings include garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and herbs such as thyme or parsley. You can sauté these seasonings in a little oil before adding the peas, or simply mix them in while the peas are cooking.

It can be a number of factors. If you have hard water that can help keep them hard the calcium ions tend to bind to the beans and keep them hard. Sodium ions from water softeners don't do that. So if you have a water softener, you should soften the water you use to soak and cook them.

How do you make black-eyed peas from a can taste better? ›

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!

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.

What do you have with your black eyed peas on New Year's Day? The peas represent coins. Couple with something that represents dollars such as cabbage or other greens (collards, kale, turnip greens) plus cornbread! The tradition is that the more you eat the more monetary good luck you will have in the new year.

“Blackeyed peas, rice, sometimes turnip greens, and some kind of pork, like ham, sausage, bacon.” Because in Texas and across the South it's considered good luck to eat black-eyed peas on January 1st. “If you eat as a poor man on the first day of year, you'll eat rich for the rest of the year.”

Black-eyed Peas & Cabbage

Others say it started during the Civil War in Vicksburg, Virginia. The town ran out of food while under siege and the inhabitants were lucky enough to discover cow peas (a.k.a., black-eyed peas). Meanwhile, cabbage leaves are thought to bring prosperity to those who eat them on New Year's Day.