Black Eyed Peas from Old South Oyster Bar
Savory black eyed peas, adapted from the (now closed) Old South Oyster Bar in Osprey, Florida. Bacon, pepper, seasoned salt, onion and garlic offer delicious flavors to a favorite treat.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 slices Bacon
- 1 medium Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, peeled & minced
- 1 tsp. Reduced sodium Lawry's seasoned salt (if using regular, you may want to adjust)
- 1/8 tsp. Ground white pepper
- 1 c. Reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 c. Water
- 2 c. Frozen (thawed) black eyed peas
- Cooked bacon, chopped
- Minced onion (for serving)
- Your favorite hot sauce (for serving)
Instructions
- Add bacon to a large skillet, cook over medium/high heat until crisp, then transfer pieces to a paper towel. 4 slices will typically yield about 5 Tb. of grease. Leave all the grease in the pan OR transfer it to a heat proof container and measure out 2-3 Tb and return that to the skillet (Note: the more bacon grease the better in this recipe, but if you're trying to be a bit more healthy, you can leave some behind). Reserve any remaining grease for another use, or discard.
- Over medium heat, add onions to bacon grease, cook until translucent. Toss in garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes, just until fragrant.
- Add seasoned salt, pepper, chicken broth, water and thawed black eyed peas to onion mixture. Stir to combine, then simmer over low heat, covered, about 45-50 minutes, until peas are tender. Half way through cooking, toss in the chopped bacon. Check every 10 minutes and if the peas have absorbed most of the liquid before being fully cooked, add 1/4 cup of water at a time until they're tender but have still maintained their shape. You should have just enough liquid in the pan acting as a light 'gravy' so the peas don't become dry. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt (Lawry's or other), as needed.
- Serve with chopped onion, hot sauce and/or vinegar, as desired.