Can you believe it's the first day of 2025? I say this every year but 2024 flew by. I guess as you get older time goes by faster, and I'm not happy about it! I am working on my resolutions for the year, but to start, I always have to try and usher in a year of good luck with black eyed peas and cornbread. I know there are several foods that are said to help bring a year filled with good tidings, but black eyed peas are my mainstay. And in my book, you can't have black eyed peas without a piece of hot cornbread.
Below I am sharing the way I prepare black eyed peas using store bought frozen peas. My grandparents always harvested them in their summer garden haul, so they had plenty of them on hand in the freezer but alas, my frozen pantry is less than stocked. I'll also share my cornbread recipe.
I always make white cornbread for this (and most other things). I do like a sweet yellow cornbread, but you have to have white cornbread with "peas 'n cornbread." If you are in a pinch, Gladiola White Cornbread Mix (made by Martha White) is a great and quick alternative to homemade! If you're pressed for time on the peas front and need to go the canned route, I suggest Trappey's seasoned with jalapeños. They really are pretty good!
Wishing you all "peace and peas" for 2025!
Black Eyed Peas
24 oz frozen black eyed peas
Smoked ham hock
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced in rounds
2 cloves of pressed garlic
3 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Bring broth, water, onion powder, garlic, jalapenos, salt & pepper and ham hock to a rolling boil. Once boiling, bring to just above a simmer and add peas and cook for 30 minutes to an hour. I prefer to cook longer because I like my peas to be a little "mushy," with them bursting just a bit. Serve with cornbread!
White Cornbread
1 1/2 cups ground white cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Use a 12" cast iron skillet (if available) or 12 inch baking pan. Add a swirl of oil to the pan, and then place in the oven. Set the temperature to preheat to 400 degrees. This will help form that delicious crunchy crust of the cornbread. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Then combine both together and whisk together until there are no lumps. Remove the hot skilled from the oven and immediately add the batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes until you see golden brown edges.