Black Eyed Peas, by Cecil Bethea

The origin of black eyed peas as a meal for New Year’s Day is well concealed in the myths and mists of Southern history.  Don’t worry about the past; just think of the present.  Most of the old recipes allowed room not so much for creativity as for availability.  If the cook did not have an ingredient, he substituted.

Actually black eyed peas are very much like beef stew.  The cook may put most anything into the pot and surprise his guests. Just as beef stew must contain beef; this dish must contain black eyed peas and some form of cured pork.  The purists would demand a whole hog’s head.  Not only does the head look like a fugitive from Elm Street, it also requires a very large pot.  Such might be all right for a family reunion but hardly suitable for a few Prime Timers.  If you go with the whole hog’s head, DO NOT let your guests see it before the meal. As Bismarck said, “People should not see how laws and sausages are made.”

Firmly believing that recipes are not rocket science, I think that precise amounts should not be given in order to allow the cook to express his individuality, creativity. or genius.  No matter, buy a one-pound bag of dried black eyed peas well before New Year’s Eve, Years ago I learned that enough people in Denver have Southern roots to clear early in the week the local Safeway’s shelves of black eyed peas: dried, canned, and frozen.  The traditional preparation is to rinse off the peas in a colander and to soak them overnight.  I usually just cook them in one operation which does take a while longer.

Now for the meat. The traditional form of pork to use is salt pork.  The inelegant call it sowbelly.  Usually you may buy a piece weighing about a pound.  Cubed the salt pork and brown.  Lacking salt pork, dice, fry, and brown as much bacon as you want.  Probably the best meat is a ham bone left over from a gluttonous feast.  Leave a lot of meat on the bone.  The final source of meat is ham hocks.  From what I’ve seen in the super markets, you might want to buy two.

Put the peas and meat with a chopped onion into a pot of boiling water enough to cover.  Return to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for a couple of hours.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Use some Tabasco. Remember the taste of Tabasco should be like the sound of a distant violin-- just barely noticeable.  In conclusion, remove the meat from the bone, fat, and skin.  Dice the meat and discard the other stuff.

Actually black eyed peas may be fixed early and reheated just before serving.  In our family we never used black eyed peas as a side dish rather as a main dish.  Mother would always have lots of cornbread which we slathered with butter.  She never used a mix; such didn’t exist in those far off times.  If you to go from scratch, I recommend you use yellow corn meal.  Le Roy Greene likes the white, but he’s from Savannah.  Also, the recipe on the box will say use one cup of meal and one of flour.  I prefer two cups of meal and no flour.  Cole slaw is an excellent accompaniment and easy to fix.  Slice and then chop some cabbage.  Chop and add onion and dill pickle.  Season with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, a squirt of lemon juice, and a dash of Tabasco.  For the socially daring, you may serve slices of onion on the side.

“Bon appétit” is not appropriate for black eyed peas, so I’ll just say “Good eating.”

© 14 Dec 2005 

About the Author 

 Although I have done other things, my fame now rests upon the durability of my partnership with Carl Shepherd; we have been together for forty-two years and nine months as of today, August 18th, 2012.

Although I was born in Macon, Georgia in 1928, I was raised in Birmingham during the Great Depression.  No doubt I still carry invisible scars caused by that era.  No matter we survived.  I am talking about my sister, brother, and I .  There are two things that set me apart from people.  From about the third grade I was a voracious reader of books on almost any subject.  Had I concentrated, I would have been an authority by now; but I didn’t with no regrets.

After the University of Alabama and the Air Force, I came to Denver.  Here I met Carl, who picked me up in Mary’s Bar.  Through our early life we traveled extensively in the mountain West.  Carl is from Helena, Montana, and is a Blackfoot Indian.  Our being from nearly opposite ends of the country made “going to see the folks” a broadening experience.  We went so many times that we finally had “must see” places on each route like the Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky and the polo games in Sheridan, Wyoming.  Now those happy travels are only memories.

I was amongst the first members of the memory writing class.  While it doesn’t offer criticism, it does offer feedback.  Also just trying to improve your writing helps no end.

Carl is now in a nursing home; I don’t drive any more.  We totter on.