(no subject)

[camwyn]

Decided to try some different varieties of beans when I was at the supermarket today, since last time my bag of Anasazi beans turned out to make a pretty fantastic complement to the ground turkey in my white chili recipe. I now find myself in possession of a sixteen pound bag of cow peas- small brown oblong kin to the black-eyed pea. Various net searches indicate that they are also called crowder peas. Is there a cooking or flavor reason most of the recipes I see for this sort of pea call for the involvement of ham, or is it just that that was an easily available meat in the area where the beans in question are common? I've also found some southeast Asian recipes that involve cooking them in coconut milk, which sounds interesting too.

Comments

[ceitfianna]

My Mom makes black eyed peas for New Year's and they don't have a lot of flavor on their own. She has an amazing recipe that involves bacon and ginger that turns them delicious.

I'll be curious to hear what you end up making as peas can be good but they're one of those dishes that need added flavor.

[sardonicynic]

Don't completely take my word for this, but I think crowder peas may be a primarily Southern dish. I know I grew up with 'em, anyway — my mom would sometimes switch out black-eyed peas for crowders. She'd simmer them all day with ham hocks or bacon (and add in some bouillon, sometimes, for added flavor) and a fuckton of salt, and serve them bean-soup-style with cornbread or hot biscuits. (There was sure to be mustard greens or cabbage and potato soup on the table, too.)

Ooh, I think the coconut milk option has the potential to be amazing.

[camwyn]

Yeah, the recipes I'm finding for them are almost all Southern. The ones that aren't are southeast Asian- a lot of Sri Lankan and Indian stuff, specifically. They were one of the Goya varieties at the store, so I figured why not.