Purple Hull Peas

2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony Meal

When my friend Debbie asked me about the recipe for the purple hull peas above, I was very happy to post it.

Little background...my son Chris is a vegetarian and cooks just about every day.  His vegetable of choice these days is peas.  He cooks just about any kind of peas too, cream, blackeye, purple hull..etc.  I bought these peas at the Farmer's Market in Beaumont a couple of weeks ago.  They were fresh and that makes such a difference in taste.

Since Christopher is a vegetarian and my daughter Holly used to have a pet pig, Millie, that lived with us, pork is not really a good choice around here for seasoning peas or beans.  Millie eventually got too large to live with us (she's a big girl...over 200 lbs.).  She now lives very comfortably at the ranch in San Antonio with her little buddy Mudd, one of our other pot bellied pigs (we have 2 more named Pork Chop and Maxwell)!!



  LITTLE MILLIE WALKER



I found a good replacement for bacon though.  It is by the company MorningStar Farms and they are veggie bacon strips.  It has a smoky flavor and a good bacon-y taste.  It is also cholesterol free and has only 4.5 grams of fat in 2 strips.

I usually fix my peas with bacon, onion and seasoning (salt and pepper) and with chicken broth but Christopher cooked them for me this time and he added some poblano and jalapeno peppers.  It was so yummy.  It had such a great flavor...I literally could eat this over rice for a one-dish meal!

I am going to give you two recipes for Purple Hull Peas.  The first one is a spicy, mexican style recipe.  It would be great in place of Charra Beans and as an accompaniment to fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, etc.  The second one is more of the traditional style Purple Hull Peas.

Peppered Purple Hull Peas

2 - bags Purple Hull Peas

6-8 strips of bacon or veggie bacon strips

1-2 tablespoons olive oil (only if using veggie bacon strips)

1/2-Poblano Pepper, chopped

1/2-Jalapeno Pepper, chopped

1-Medium Onion, chopped

10- cloves of Garlic, minced

1-box Vegetable Broth (organic if you can find it)

handful of fresh Cilantro

2-teaspoons Cumin

2-teaspoons Chili Powder

Salt and Pepper
(you could add canned diced tomatoes as well for another layer of flavor)

Fry the bacon or cook the bacon strips, according to instructions, in a large fry pan until crispy.  Remove bacon strips and set aside.  If you used real bacon, pour off all but about a tablespoon or 2 of the bacon grease and add the peppers, onion, and garlic.  If you used veggie bacon strips, add olive oil and next 4 ingredients.  Saute until veggies are softened.  Add purple hull peas and saute a few minutes so that the peas can absorb flavor.  Add vegetable broth.  The broth should cover the peas, but if not you can add water.  Add the rest of the ingredients including the bacon.  Cover and simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes or until tender.

Fresh Home-Cooked Purple Hull Peas

2 - bags Purple Hull Peas

6-8 strips of bacon or veggie bacon strips

1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil (if you used veggie bacon strips)

1-medium Onion, chopped

1-box of Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth (organic if you can find it)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fry the bacon or cook the bacon strips, according to instructions, in a large fry pan until crispy.  Remove bacon strips and set aside.  If you used real bacon, pour off all but about a tablespoon or 2 of the bacon grease.  If you used veggie bacon strips, add olive oil.  Add the onions and saute until softened.  (I love the smell of onion cooking in bacon grease)  Add the purple hull peas and saute a few minutes so that the peas can absorb flavors.  Add the bacon and the vegetable or chicken broth. The broth should cover the peas but if not add water.  Cover and simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes or until tender.

FACTS ABOUT PEAS WORTH KNOWING.....
Purple Hull Peas are full of good reasons to eat them.  They are a wonderful source of protein and dietary fiber.  In addition, they are rich in folate.  Folate is a form of vitamin B that has been found important in the prevention of anemia, cancer, and birth defects.  In fact, orange juice, which is often advertised as being a great source of folate, has only about 10 percent of the amount found in a serving of southern peas!! 

ENJOY!
"Click For Printable Recipe For Peppered Peas"
"Click for Printable Recipe For Home-Cooked Purple Hull Peas"