Seasoned Black Eyed Peas
This weekend I decided to can some black eyed peas. I soaked 5 lbs, expecting to get just shy of 7 quarts (figuring 3/4 lbs of peas per quart jar). My canner only holds (7) quart jars so it seemed like a great number. I ended up with just over 9 so I froze a quart and the rest went into the fridge to be eaten this week.
Ingredients
5 lbs dried black eyed peas (fresh would be fine, too)
olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of my big stock pot with 1/8" or so)
3-3 1/2 lbs of pork neck (any cheap pork should be fine, as it's only to season)
7 slices of thick bacon, cut in half
3-4 med onions, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons canning salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 jalapenos, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic powder
10 cups chicken stock
8-10 cups water (enough to cover peas well)
10 bay leaves
If you're using dried peas, you should soak them overnight, and then drain and rinse before using. I never use the water that they soaked in.
Pour the oil into a stock pot and heat it over med-high. When shimmering, add the pork and brown on all sides by searing it. Once browned, add the onions, garlic, and bacon. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and garlic start to brown.
Add the salt & black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and jalapenos. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes, making sure that everything is coated with the spices. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and then simmer for a half hour.
Now add the peas, bring back to a boil and then simmer for about an hour. If I were going to eat without canning, I would continue to simmer another 30 minutes to an hour, being sure to not let the water level fall below the peas. But since I was canning these, I went ahead and removed the pork neck (didn't want to can the bones) and bay leaves.
I then spooned the peas into my hot jars with a slotted spoon, leaving an inch of headroom and then added a couple of pieces of bacon. Then I added the hot liquid, checked for air bubbles and put on my new lids. Pressure can quarts for 90 minutes. I did mine at 11 lbs pressure, but check the Ball Canning Book for the correct settings at your altitude.
|