Southerners have been cooking black eyed peas since before the Civil War, and it remains an traditional favorite. Black eyed peas are often served to celebrate New Year's Day and to invite luck for the coming year. Try your hand at a slightly updated version of black eyed peas old Virginia style.
Instructions
1. Sort the black eyed peas and wash them thoroughly under clean running water.
2. Place the black eyed peas in a dutch oven and add enough water to cover them plus 2 inches, and put them aside to soak overnight.
3. Cook the bacon in a frying pan until crisp, and drain it on a paper towel.
4. Add the chopped green pepper, celery, and minced onion to the bacon fat and cook it until it's tender.
5. Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, vinegar, dark molasses and canned tomatoes and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes.
6. Drain the black eyed peas and put them back in the dutch oven. Add the hot mixture in the frying pan to the black eyed peas and simmer the mixture, covered, for about an hour, or until the peas are tender.
7. Serve the black eyed peas hot with warm corn bread.
Tags: black eyed peas, eyed peas, black eyed, dutch oven, simmer mixture
