Black Eyed Peas w/ Hamhocks

With all this snow and "snowpocalypse" conditions, there's nothing like piling up the blankets on the couch, with a steaming hot bowl of soup with the TV remote on the other hand. This dish is such a heart-warming, southern classic that is perfect for the type of weather we've been experiencing.

This dish only has a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. However, many stay clear of it because of the very long cook time. To soften the hamhocks takes at least 2 hours. In addition, uncooked black eyed peas takes another couple hours to cook all the way through as well. The key to making this dish a little less time consuming is to use quick cook black eyed peas. I found mine at Meijer, in the produce section. Also, if you had a pressure cooker, that too would speed up the process of softening the hocks. But if not, simply use a slow cooker and let it go while you run errands or check emails. You won't even notice that a couple hours has gone by!

BLACK EYED PEAS W/ HAMHOCKS

1 medium onion – diced
2 cloves of garlice – minced
1 bay leaf
1 tbl of kosher salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lb of smoked hamhocks
4 cups of low sodium organic chicken broth
4 cups of water

2 – 12 oz packages of quick cook black eyed peas

Heat a large pot with 2 tablespoons of canola oil on medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic until the onions have become translucent. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper. Add the hamhocks and saute just for a couple minutes to release some of the flavor and render a little of the fat. Then add the chicken broth and water. Let boil until the hamhocks are tender, about 2 hours.

When the hamhocks are fork tender, add the black eyed peas and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the peas are softened. Serve hot!