Annotated Black Eyed Pea Vegetable Jambalaya

May this recipe from Peter Golcher bring you Good Luck and Prosperity, no matter the season!

For many New Year's, we have put a cup of dried black eyed peas on to soak, gone for a nice day long hike at one of the parks here in the Santa Cruz Mountains and then, cooked up a batch of Black Eyed Pea Vegetable Jambalaya. If eating black eyed peas on New Year's is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year, this recipe can be a good one to test the theory!

It came to me in the early 1990's—torn out of one of those Sunday paper inserts and then preserved in a folder of similar miscellaneous ephemera. So that you may start at the same point as I did, I’ve included the strict-as-published-1990's-recipe, but as with everything related to the recipes I've repeated over the years, some aspects get modified, and my notes indicate how this one has developed over the years. I think this is how family recipes originate: we adapt and modify to suit the needs and taste of the family.

One last thing before we dive in, it is rather nice that this can be made stove top with minimal  equipment. Quite quick too.

Ingredients

Disclaimer: This recipe depends heavily on the obsolete and archaic Freedom Units of Measurement: teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, and ounces. I always have to look up the conversion (1 cup = 8 oz) and can never keep straight whether they are talking about weight or volume or something else. And exactly how big is a tablespoon? It seems somewhat "creative" to merely grab a spoon from the cutlery drawer since some are the size of small shovels.

So, I always use weight. If something says 1 cup, I (somewhat diligently) weigh out 8 ounces, and for this recipe, this method works.  

Double Disclaimer: your mileage may vary.

• 3 tablespoons canola oil (I don't think this needs a high temp oil. I've had good success with our go-to cooking quality olive oil, but if you have a favorite oil—canola, hemp, sunflower, coconut—it may work well.)

• 1 cup diced onion—yellow or red, 1/2”

• 2 large cloves or 1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic. (Maybe it's just my taste, but for this recipe, I don't think you can go wrong with doubling the amount of garlic, and on occasion, I've added dried/powdered garlic for an added boost.)

• 3/4 cup diced celery, 1/2”

• 1/2 cup diced carrot, 1/4”

• 1 teaspoon thyme (Here, I tend to use whatever dried mixed herbs I have at hand—good success with Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute and/or the Savory Spice products. But I try to be aware of the floral herbs/spices that sometimes sneak in when I'm not paying attention, such as cumin and cloves.)

• 2 teaspoon paprika (Given the choice, I gravitate to the "smoky" and "hot" varieties.)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 pinch cayenne (I use a lot more than a "pinch," but different peppers can have different heats—always easier to add, always hard to subtract.)

• 1 bay leaf (Somewhat optional; one leaf doesn't really add much; a bunch from the bay laurel tree in the garden is excessive (!); strive for a flavor that works ;))

• 1 red bell pepper diced, 1/2”

• 1 green bell pepper diced, 1/2” (Here, I yearn to add some fresh minced chili peppers, whatever is in season: Anaheim, serrano or something else.

• 1 cup cooked black eyed peas (read step 1 below, and sub 1 cup of soaked, dried black eyed peas)

• 1 can / 28 oz plum tomatoes (I make use of the fire roasted tomatoes or the ones with special flavors)

• 3-1/4 cups veg broth (It seems like everyone has their own way of making broth; pick your favorite. Deborah Madison/Greens stock recipe is a personal fav (twice!) if you have the time to make it, but I've found any of the prepackaged broths work well. Just watch the salt since I've found some tend to rely on that—too much, imo—for flavor.) 

• 2 medium zucchini, 1/2” diced

• 1-1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice

• 1 pkg (8oz) cremini mushrooms (or a good sized single portabella), 1/2” diced

• 2 tablespoons parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Steps 1 and 2 are my modifications, and the original recipe starts at step 3. Additional notes are in parentheses, as with the ingredients above.

1. Several hours prior to eating, put the dried black eyed peas on to soak in a pot of cold water. Just prior to adding the peas to the pot in step 5, rinse them several times simply as part of the prep sequence. Taste the peas; they should be slightly firm to the bite, but not "raw.” If they are "raw" add them in step 4; the concern here is that if they are added too early they may appear too soft and over cooked. 

2. Clean, top, and quarter the mushrooms, dice, and cook quickly on a med-high heat, in a lightly oiled pan, to lightly brown. Set aside until step 6.)

3. Heat oil in a large heavy pot on the stove top. Add the onion and cook over a low heat to wilt for 10 min, then add celery, garlic, carrots,  cook 1 minute longer. (You have a choice of onions here and temperatures—I tend to choose yellow onions on a relatively high heat to quickly caramelize them with the garlic in order to "throw in" some "free" complementary flavor.)

4. Mix in spices and herbs, then add bell pepper, black eyed peas, tomatoes, and broth. (I add the bell pepper first, sometimes with the onion in step three to quickly sauté with the above. I add the rest of the ingredients in this step. See step 1 for when to add the black eyed peas, and note that you’re either adding it here or in step 6 depending on the texture when you test the soaked peas.) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, partially covered for 10 mins.

5. Adjust seasonings (I typically add a good amount of cayenne and some salt, to taste. Actually, a particular favorite that works well with this recipe is  "Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning" … there's a story behind how I got introduced to this seasoning, but that can wait for another day. :))

6. Thirty minutes before serving, add the zucchini, bring to boil, and stir in rice (plus the soaked and rinsed black eyed peas, if you haven’t already. …it may also be helpful to note that this recipe is old, and I usually hold off adding the zucchini until step 7 because 30 minutes of cooking may well obliterate it.) Adjust the seasonings again, and cook for 20 mins

7. Ten minutes before serving, gently fold in the mushrooms from step 2 (and the zucchini if you held it out, as I recommend.)

8. Garnish with parsley, and serve with a large glass of wine.

From the original recipe: If you prefer, add fish, crab cakes, shrimp or other Southern Louisiana Jambalaya type ingredients. Add a bowl of coleslaw on the side, a garnish of parsley and fresh cherry tomatoes, for added flavor.

My final notes: You don't have to serve this all in one go;  it "keeps" quite well in the fridge and can easily be heated as left-overs. Or, add some more broth and other ingredients to give it a second life. A hot crusty sourdough can be a nice addition.

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