Black eye peas are a MUST for New Year’s Day.  They are supposed to stand for good luck for the upcoming year so I will be eating a double portion!  My family eats it for lunch, while some opt for the evening meal. Either way is fine, you just need to plan for the peas as they will take a while.  Please–do not use the canned peas.  If you just must, drain the can and rinse the peas before cooking.

 
There are dried peas and frozen. The difference is with the dried ones, you will need to soak them over night.  This will make them more tender and the cooking time is less. With the frozen, you can take them out the freezer and put them straight into the pot. Either one is great, with the right seasonings, but both will take some time to cook. 

Here is the time line:  

Lunch New Year’s Day– dried peas–start soaking on Dec.30th–right before bed, let soak overnight and start cooking them New Year’s Eve Morning.  This gives you all day and on New Year’s Day–you only reheat them.  For frozen peas–just start cooking them on New Year’s Eve morning. 

Dinner New Year’s Day–dried peas–start soaking New Year’s Eve before bed, then cook on New Year’s morning.  For frozen–you are good to go that morning.  You can cook these a few days in advance, whenever you have time–let cool and refrigerate.  On the day of your meal all you have to do is reheat them.  This setting time also adds additional flavor to the peas.
      

In the recipe you will notice I list bacon and “other meat”.  Now let me explain.  First is the bacon…you HAVE to use this. It adds a different flavor than the other meats.  For the other meats–I prefer smoked ham hocks.  If you cannot find these you can also use smoked neck bones.  These add a little smoke flavor that is great with the peas.  You can use either but will need two of whichever you choose.  They do not have to be thawed and can go straight into the pot frozen. You may also want to buy these things early as you will be surprised to find these sold out in the store as the date nears!  If you choose to use the canned peas, drain and rinse them good then follow the recipe.  They will still be good, but I think the dried or frozen ones taste fresher.
 
 
Black Eye Peas

1 bag dried, frozen, or a few cans  of black eye peas
1 large onion, diced
2 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 of ham hocks or neck bones–make sure you get smoked
salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil
water
 
First, drizzle a little olive oil into a large pot and add onion and bacon.  The oil will help the onion not stick until the bacon starts to cook.  Then add whichever other meat you decided on, sprinkle with salt and give it a good stir.  You will cook this until the onions are tender.  The bacon will not look done but don’t worry, it will keep cooking as the peas do.  Once the onions are tender, add the peas and stir again.  Now add enough water to cover the peas followed by a good sprinkle of pepper and garlic powder–do not add salt yet–this will make the peas tougher.  

Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.  Let these cook for hours.  Stir every now and then and check the water level.  You want to make sure there is plenty of water so the peas don’t burn.  Just add as needed.  I usually start mine at 8 or 9 in the morning, cook till 1 pm and turn them off and place a lid on them.  This will still cook the peas some more.  

At 3 pm I turn the heat back on, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium again.  Once this happens, I add some salt–not  much as the meats are a little salty.  I continue to cook these, checking the water level and stirring, until 5 or 6 pm.  They should be done at this point.  Taste them and see–checking on salt level also. You don’t have to turn them off and can just keep cooking them throughout the day.  The longer they cook the better they are. 

They should have a thicker juice when you serve them–not like real thick–but not like water either.  If it looks like water–add a butter paste.  

That is two tablespoons of softened butter smashed with a fork into two tablespoons of flour.  Stir this paste into the peas for a few minutes.  Let it cook and it will thicken the “sauce” of the peas.  The butter also gives a richness to the peas.
 
Of course, because it is New Year’s, we serve this with some type of pork, rice for the peas, cornbread, and some type of greens.  I don’t like greens (which is why I’m not wealthy!) but we try to do a salad, even though I don’t think that counts! Hope you have a Happy New Year.  Enjoy!