Hello everyone! Happy New Year to you! My mother always made black-eyed peas and jowl for eating on New Year's Day. She was a superstitious person - got out of the car to walk over the path of a black cat, super careful with spilled salt, etc - and required the consumption of black-eyed peas on the 1st day of the year for luck and wealth in the next year. My sister Andi is a hater of beans and will consume a single bean.
I came up with this recipe to showcase our delish pork jowl. We're having it processed at Petit Jean Meats now, and it's even better than it used to be. Try out this recipe and enjoy luck and riches (fingers crossed!) in 2023!
Classic Southern Black-eyed Peas with Porch Swing Farms Pork Jowl
3 cups chicken or pork broth
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 lb smoked and sliced pork jowl, diced into ½ pieces
1 t tomato paste
About 11 oz or 2 cups fresh or fresh frozen black eyed peas
(If using canned peas reduce cooking time in the final step to 5 minutes. If using dried peas, cook according to the package directions and use as you would canned peas.)
Salt/pepper
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. While the broth comes to a boil, In a large skillet on medium high, fry the jowl pieces until crispy.
Using a slotted spoon, spoon out the fried pork pieces into the broth.
Add the onion to the pork fat and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic to the onions and cook until softened. Using the slotted spoon, scoop the onions and garlic into the broth. Turn off the heat to the skillet.
Stir the onions, garlic, tomato paste and jowl into the broth. Stir the peas into the broth mixture. Reduce to a simmer and cook until peas are tender, about 15 minutes if using fresh or fresh frozen. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with potlikker over rice or grits and your favorite hot sauce.
Happy New Year!!!