How to make black-eyed peas, collard greens edible

Teri Staats, a retired teacher, can relate.

"My grandmother was born in 1903 in Texas and raised in a very poor family with many children," Staats said. "My grandfather was born seven out of nine in Oklahoma Indian Territory in 1902 to poor farmers."

Staats is familiar with her family's history and all they endured.

"Both families migrated through Oklahoma and Texas, until coming to California in the 1940s," Staats said. "My grandfather worked for oil companies and moved around the country following jobs. One of the last moves was to Bakersfield and the Kern oil fields."

Staats' mother found reason to stay in Bakersfield.

"When the time came to move again, my mother, Joy (Niblett) Barrett, decided to stay in Bakersfield to finish school and graduate from Kern County Union High School in 1949," Staats said. "She found a job and a roommate and at 16 she was on her own."

Staats' grandmother did not follow complex recipes when cooking.

"Due to the Depression and the fact that my grandparents had little formal education, they had a nomadic life and little true possessions," Staats said. "My grandmother’s cooking was very simple, but very good — white bread or cornbread graced every meal, along with milk or buttermilk. She cooked many a pot of beans and ham, fried okra (best with cornmeal and bacon grease), collard greens and, of course, black-eyed peas. I cannot say that they ever brought luck, but they were warm and filling."

Staats' grandmother did the most she could with what was available.

“I am sure that the black-eyed peas were always the dried kind due to availability and that is what I remember my mother using," Staats said. "She would soak the peas overnight in this huge pot after rinsing and picking through for rocks and bad peas. The next day she would drain the peas and add fresh water to cover the peas about two inches. If there was a leftover ham bone, she would throw that in, as well. She would add a small diced onion and season with salt and pepper — heating until it boiled and then simmering for about two hours, until the beans were tender. The smell was wonderful. The bone would be removed and the bits of ham chopped smaller."

Staat’s memories were similar to others I received when I asked Facebook friends to tell me about eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day.

With the meal typically considered a Southern tradition, it’s logical that Bakersfield and Kern County continue to embrace it.

In the dire Great Depression decade of the 1930s, the San Joaquin Valley was the last stop for many desperate Southern families as they traveled West to escape a yearslong drought in the Midwest and South.

Food was hard to come by back then. Just surviving was a struggle. The warm, comforting aroma of beans, greens and ham cooking on the stove and cornbread baking in the oven was a blessing — and no doubt considered a hopeful sign that a family’s luck might be changing.

Shirley Wenske recalled her family serving Hoppin’ John — a variation of black-eyed peas — and "if Dad planned it, smoked oysters, pickled tongue and Pyrenees sourdough rolls."

Some folks don’t like either black-eye peas or collard greens. But to hear Chick Jacobs tell it, they just might not be cooking them correctly.

Jacobs is The Bakersfield Californian’s former sports editor. If you heard him talk with his deep Southern drawl, you would know he is likely a black-eyed peas expert. After Bakersfield, Jacobs moved on to the Fayetteville (NC) Observer. He’s retired from the newspaper, but continues to freelance.

He wrote me that black-eyed peas and collard greens are yummy.

"If you have an issue with the collards, mix in some mustard greens, garlic and a streak of lean," he said. "Also, fresh collards are miles better than canned slop."

He convinced this Yankee to go in search of some recipes and try my luck on New Year’s Day.

•••

Easy Black-Eyed Peas

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 16 hours

Serves 10

I liked this recipe because it had "easy" in its title and came out of a publication called Southern Living. It just had to be good.

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) package dried black-eyed peas
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 thick-cut bacon slices
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 small onion)
• ½ cup chopped carrots (from 3 medium carrots)
• ½ cup chopped celery (from 3 stalks)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 (4-inch) rosemary sprig
• 1 (3-inch) thyme sprig
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions

Sort and rinse peas, discarding any broken peas or stones. Place peas and water to cover by 2 inches in a large bowl. Allow peas to soak 8 hours or up to overnight. After soaking, drain peas and discard soaking water.

Place peas, stock, bacon, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until tender, about 8 hours.

Remove and discard herb sprigs, bay leaf and bacon slices. If desired, serve peas drizzled with olive oil.

•••

Classic Hoppin’ John

This is a variation of black-eyed peas, but it includes rice and pork all in one-pot dish. This is one of many similar recipes for Hoppin’ John.

I especially liked the word "classic" in its title. That tells me a lot of people have lived after eating this.

Food historians believe its unusual name derived from "pois pigeons" — French for dried peas and pronounced "paw peejohn."

To English-speaking ears, that might have sounded like "hoppin’ John.”

Prep time: 25 minutes

Total time: 90 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, sliced (about 1½ cups)
• 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 8 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1½ cups uncooked Carolina Gold rice
• Fresh scallions, sliced

Directions

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until starting to crisp, about 10 minutes.

Add celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 8 minutes.

Add broth and black-eyed peas, and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until peas are tender, about 40 minutes.

Drain pea mixture, reserving cooking liquid. Return pea mixture and 1 cup of the cooking liquid to Dutch oven. Cover to keep warm; set aside.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until rice is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Fluff rice with a fork, and gently stir into pea mixture in Dutch oven.

Stir in remaining cooking liquid, ¼ cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Sprinkle servings with sliced fresh scallions.

•••

Lazy Alternatives

Bakersfield has several soul food and family-style restaurants that serve black-eyed peas year-round as side dishes.

Staff at Nov’s Soul Spot on F Street said many people pick up large pans of black-eyed peas for their holiday meals. Now if you are really lazy, there are canned options on grocery store shelves.

(Oh, horrors! I’ve just made "purist heads" explode.)

•••

Texas Black-Eyed Pea Caviar

If you can’t imagine yourself swallowing a plate of hot black-eyed peas, do what Bakersfield teacher Michelle Beck advises. She makes "Texas Caviar" out of black-eyed peas.

I found this recipe in Allrecipes. And best yet, it calls for canned peas.

Ingredients

• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together onion, green bell pepper, green onions, jalapeno peppers, garlic, cherry tomatoes, zesty Italian dressing, black beans, black-eyed peas and coriander. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours. Toss with desired amount of fresh cilantro to serve.

•••

Southern-Style Collard Greens

It’s a "big ask" for me to cook collard greens and eat them. But if anyone can convince me to try, maybe a publication called Southern Living can.

Ingredients

• 12 hickory-smoked bacon slices, finely chopped
• 2 medium-size sweet onions, finely chopped
• ¾ pound smoked ham, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 (32-ounce) containers chicken broth
• 3 (1-pound) packages fresh collard greens, washed and trimmed
• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• ¾ teaspoon pepper

Directions

Cook bacon over medium heat in a 10-quart stockpot for 10 to 12 minutes or until almost crisp.

Add onion to stockpot, and sauté 8 minutes. Add garlic and ham, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth, collard greens, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 2 hours or until desired degree of tenderness.