Description
This slow cooked Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens dish is a soul-hugging staple; served up Southern-style with smoked meat, spices, and aromatics. Whether you’re ushering in good luck for the New Year or you’re just craving something that’s comfort food at its finest, this heartwarming recipe hits the spot! Sooo delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 lb (16 ounces) dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight & then drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (bacon grease/duck fat as substitute)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, finely diced
- 1 small jalapeño, deseeded & finely diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 teaspoons Creole Cajun seasoning, homemade or store-bought, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ lbs smoked turkey wings or ham hocks
- ½ bunch fresh collard greens, stems removed & chopped- (about 2 heaping cups chopped collard greens)
- 7 cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- Fresh chopped parsley, as garnish- optional
For serving:
- Cooked white rice and/or cornbread- optional
Instructions
- First, you need to soak your peas. Place the peas in a bowl and cover with water, let sit overnight, for at least 8 hours. The next morning, drain the peas, set aside, and proceed with the recipe. For a faster soak alternative, bring about 6-7 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Then add the peas and remove the pot from heat. Let the peas soak in the hot water for 30 minutes to 1 hour- then drain the peas and proceed with the recipe.
- Sauté the aromatics. In a skillet over medium heat, coat the pan with oil. Once the oil is shimmering; toss in the onion, bell pepper, celery, and jalapeño mixture. Cook the aromatics together until tender and golden brown, stirring frequently, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Slow-cook all ingredients. Place the black-eyed peas into the slow cooker vessel along with the sautéed veggie mixture, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, worcestershire sauce, smoked turkey wings or ham hocks, chopped collard greens, and cover with chicken stock/broth. Gently toss all ingredients to combine.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours; or until the peas and greens are tender.
- Shred the meat. Remove the smoked meat from the slow cooker, and set it aside to cool down for a few minutes before handling. Meanwhile, stir the slow cooker ingredients. Then back to the meat, use two forks or your hands (fitted with disposable gloves, if desired) to tear the meat off the bones into bite-sized pieces- discard the bones along with any fatty parts. Add the pieces of meat back into the slow cooker, and stir well to combine.
- Mash the peas a little. Remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard. At this stage, the mixture might look very brothy. Use a potato masher to break up some of the peas, just a few strokes are all that’s needed. This will break down some of the peas which will result in the mixture taking on a creamier consistency- stir well to combine.
- Serve. Taste the peas and season with more Cajun seasoning, as desired. Serve the black-eyed peas with collard greens in bowls immediately alongside cooked white rice and/or cornbread for an extra filling meal and garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.