Blackeye Peas and Cornbread!
It is a delicious Southern USA comfort food.
Blackeye peas can be bought fresh from farmer's markets in season, but also come canned/tinned, frozen, and dried.
I made these with fresh peas and added a few green beans for color contrast and additional flavor.
Blackeye Peas.
So how to make blackeye peas?
Well, it depends on what kind you bought.
For canned/tinned: open can, drain the liquid, set aside. In a medium cast iron skillet fry up some bacon. Put bacon away in frig to use in salad or sandwiches or just to munch on later. Put all but two table spoons of the bacon grease in a mason jar and store in frig for future use (southern gold). Put the drained blackeye peas in cast iron skillet with the reserved bacon grease and toss them around a bit to get the flavor of the bacon on them. Add salt to taste but remember can peas already have salt in them. Saute' until hot (it only takes a few minutes) and serve with cornbread, tomatoes and onion.
For dried blackeye peas: Place in large pot and add twice as much water as peas. The peas will absorb the water so make sure you add plenty of water. Cover and let soak over night. The next day, drain the water and remove any "ugly" peas and any debris (seriously I have found little pebbles before and stems). Place in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil with a piece of pork (ham hock, fat back, bacon etc) or use a couple of spoonfuls of your southern gold. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.
For frozen: Same as for canned except add enough water to cover. Once they come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
For fresh peas: Same as for frozen except simmer time is closer to an hour.
**** If you like your broth thicker, take out about one cup of your peas, mash them up real good and return them to the pot.
Buttermilk Cornbread
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Liberally spray baking pan (dark coated or cast iron) with non stick vegetable oil spray, set aside. With a wire whisk, lightly beat together eggs, oil, and half the buttermilk in a medium bowl. Add half of the cornmeal and whisk it in. Add the other half and more buttermilk a little at a time until you achieve the proper consistency (not lumpy/not runny). Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 min. Lightly spray top of cornbread with vegetable oil spray and bake for 5 min more until golden brown. Serve with real butter.
For those that like a sweet cornbread: you can add a tablespoon of sugar to the batter or just by a Jiffy Mix.