New Year Cream Peas Recipe

Description

When searching for a New Year’s Day recipe that included peas and greens, I came across several very simple recipes. What I was not able to find was a recipe without bacon. Bacon makes a lot of sense for a recipe that needs fat and salt to transform a bland vegetable into a savory vegetable. This is a recipe, I created on New Years Day for 2019, that takes the standard Southern Cream Recipe and turns it into a healthier version of its classic cousin recipe .

Ingredients

• 1 pound Dried Cream Peas, Shelled and Rehydrated
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Roughly Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 cups Water Or Enough To Cover The Peas
• 2 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation

Soak enough cream peas to make a pound of peas when rehydrated (you can also use fresh peas). This recipe can be used with a variety of field peas. I have tested this with #8 Texas Cream Peas. Rinse the rehydrated peas and let them drain in a colander for a moment. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic to a large pot. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the peas and enough water to cover the peas. The water should be about 1/2 inch above the peas. Add some salt (1/4 teaspoon) and lots of pepper (1/2 to 1 teaspoon). Bring the peas to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the peas are tender but still just a tiny bit firm. This should take about an hour to an hour and a half. When the peas are done place in a serving bowl and add additional salt and pepper if needed.