In article >,
Omelet > wrote:

> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:04:46 -0600, Omelet >
> > wrote:
> >
> > >I don't make black eyed peas. Nasty little bits of gross disgusting
> > >texture. Worse than garbanzo beans.
> > >
> > >Bleche.
> > >
> > >I'm glad I'm an adult and am not forced to eat crap I can't stand! Black
> > >eyed peas are on my list of non-foods.
> >
> > I'm with you on garbanzo beans (unless it's Hummus), but I've always
> > liked black-eyed peas.
>
> I guess I've just never had good ones. Rock hard and gritty. And no
> flavor worth mentioning.

They don't need a "pre-soak" the way other beans do. Be sure to have a
flavorful ham hock in the pan with them (and bacon is a poor substitute,
IMO). Towards the end, remove the hock, let it cool until you can strip
the meat off and shred it, and return that to that pan.

Make a batch of *Southern* cornbread (i.e. no sugar, cinnamon, or other
wonky seasonings). Take a goodly piece of the cornbread (still hot from
the oven), slice it through the middle, and open it up on a plate. Spoon
a decent pile of the peas over the cornbread, being sure to include
enough of the cooking liquid to moisten things up right nice.

Chow down.

And just in case you don't have one, here's a tried and true cornbread
recipe:

Cornbread
-------

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cornmeal, white or yellow
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp. bacon grease

Directions:

In hot oven (400 F), heat pan (a cast-iron skillet if at all possible)
with 2 T bacon fat until almost smoking.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly, just before pouring into hot skillet.
Batter will be thin. Bake until brown. When the bread pulls away from
the sides of the pan, it's probably ready. Test it with a toothpick.


Isaac