Zesty Black Eyed Peas

black eyed peas after soaking over night

I'm not talking about Fergie or Will.I.Am, I'm talking about good old fashioned black eyed peas!  This recipe is based on Paula Dean's version of black eyed peas that I saw on one of her shows.  Like most of Paula's recipes, this one contains bacon fat, which makes it super yummy.  If your a vegetarian, or you don't like bacon, you can substitute 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil for the bacon fat.  I've made this for people that don't like black eyed peas and most of them loved this incarnation.  I make them on New Years day for good luck!

Ingredients:
1 bag of dried black eyed peas
1 red onion, diced
4 strips of thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I prefer Fresh Market, "Market Bacon") or 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of chili powder

mid-cook

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 12oz can of Ro-Tel (or any chopped tomatoes with green chilis)
3 cups of water

Soak the black eyed peas overnight according to the directions on the package.

Drain and rinse the peas.  Fry up the four strips of bacon over medium heat in a large heavy pot.  Once the bacon is crisp, remove the bacon from the pan and save for later.  Leave the bacon fat in the pot.  Add the diced red onion to the bacon fat and cook until tender and translucent(5 to 8 minutes).  Now add the tomatoes, chili powder, black pepper, salt and water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook the beans at a simmer, covered for 1 hour. 

When serving the peas, top with the crumbled bacon reserved from earlier.  Enjoy! 

The finished product!