About Johanna

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Chicago/Aurora, IL, United States
I am just like so many busy moms out there. I want to create great meals for me and my family where the food brings us together at the end of a long and hectic day. I want to empower moms to feel like they are able to make Great Everyday Meals by using simple, accessible, and inexpensive ingredients and basic cooking techniques. It’s more about family and less about slaving away in the kitchen cooking. I have been a restaurant industry professional for about 10 years and have a great passion for cooking. I will share tips, recipes and techniques that I have learned to arm everyday cooks with the foundation to simple yet great tasting cooking! Johanna M. Cook
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Monday, February 7, 2011

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!

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