Black Eyed Peas (Stovetop) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

How long do you soak black-eyed peas before cooking? ›

You'll need at least six hours to rehydrate the black-eyed peas. Place them in a large bowl and add three cups of water for every one cup of peas. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and let the beans soak for six hours or overnight. Cook your beans low and slow, ideally in a slow cooker.

Your Beans Will Cook Faster

Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved, as many traditions do, into a number of variations – but most hold the theme of luck and prosperity that harkens back to the Civil War days when people felt lucky to have black-eyed peas to eat and help them survive the cold, harsh winter ...

When Sherman's troops overtook and raided the food supplies of the Confederate South, Union soldiers regarded as them as animal feed and left them behind in the fields. The Confederates, however, survived by eating this crop and considered themselves lucky to have had them and, so, the peas became symbolic of luck.

Can I cook black-eyed peas without soaking them first? Yes, you can cook black-eyed peas without soaking them. While soaking can help reduce cooking time and make them more digestible, it is not necessary if you're short on time or prefer not to soak them.

Step 4: Simmer until Tender

Simmer the peas in stock or water until tender but not mushy, about 1 hour.

Wait until the beans are tender but not quite done to add a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple teaspoons of salt to the pot. The apple cider vinegar breaks down indigestible sugars to help digestion and also brightens the flavor of the beans without the need for excess salt.

To cut down on the gassy properties, you can add a little baking soda to your recipe. The baking soda helps break down some of the beans' natural gas-making sugars.

Drain them the next day and bring them to a boil in cold water, then reduce the heat so the water barely simmers: dried black-eyed peas can overcook, and a rolling boil could cause them to break apart. Taste the peas often to check their doneness: They should be creamy but retain their shape.

However, one of our longest-held traditions is that of eating black-eyed peas and collard greens in some form on New Year's Day.

What is the spiritual meaning of black-eyed peas? ›

The symbolism behind black-eyed peas is twofold. First, the peas are said to resemble coins, symbolizing wealth and financial abundance in the year ahead. Second, their hearty nature represents resilience and sustenance during challenging times.

Black-eyed Peas & Cabbage

Others say it started during the Civil War in Vicksburg, Virginia. The town ran out of food while under siege and the inhabitants were lucky enough to discover cow peas (a.k.a., black-eyed peas). Meanwhile, cabbage leaves are thought to bring prosperity to those who eat them on New Year's Day.

It turns out they're also popular in Yucatán and Campeche, where they go by the Mayan word (or maybe a kinda Mayan/Spanish hybrid word?) “xpelón,” (they have two varieties, both cowpeas but not exactly what we know as black-eyed peas) and are favored by poorer people.

The Black-eyed pea originates from West Africa and has been cultivated in China and India since prehistoric times. It was grown in Virginia since the 17th century by African slaves who were brought to America along with the indigenous plants from their homelands. The crop would also eventually prove popular in Texas.

Besides the popular name "black-eyed pea," it is also known as "goat pea" and "southern pea," and the most common commercial variety in the United States is called the California Blackeye.

Answer: Yes, soaking the amount of pea seed you wish to plant in your garden in a cup of lukewarm water overnight will help the seed to absorb water and shorten the amount of time they need to germinate.

We had a large pot of crowder peas and a smaller pot of blackeyed peas in water soaking over night. If working with dry peas they should be washed and then soaked for a minimum of 8 hours to “swell”.

SOAKING BEANS AND PEAS.

Soaking can be done using the traditional or the quick-soak method. TRADITIONAL METHOD: Clean and rinse beans; cover with three times as much water as beans. Soak 4 to 8 hours. Drain.