accomplished"Crockpot Smoky Black-Eyed Peas and Bacon"
Ingredients:
1/2 pound dry black-eyed peas, presoaked
1 Maggi cube
water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash of liquid smoke
1-2 cups chopped bacon, raw
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked black pepper
Directions:
Put 1/2 pound dry black-eyed peas in a bowl and check to remove any bad ones or rocks. Fill the bowl 3/4 full of water and soak the peas overnight.
Drain the peas in a colander and rinse them. Put 1 Maggi cube in a crockpot, add the peas, and pour in enough water to cover them. Add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and a dash of liquid smoke. Put the lid on, turn the crockpot on High, and cook until simmering.
Add 1-2 cups chopped raw bacon. Chop a sweet onion and add that, then stir.
Add 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, and 1/2 teaspoon smoked black pepper. Cover the crockpot.
Continue cooking until the beans are soft, about 4 hours total. This can be served alone, or over rice or noodles.
Notes:
This is a variant of ham'n'beans, which is cheap and filling. It is reasonably health, especially if you serve it with a grain, because then it makes a complete protein. I made this with strong smoky flavor because we just had an Indian curry with black-eyed peas, and our usual ham'n'beans spice blend is garam masala, so I wanted something as different as possible.
Black-eyed peas are nutritous and soak up whatever flavors surround them. Dry ones are cheapest. If you forget to soak them, you can still cook them in a crockpot, but it takes about twice as long.
Worcestershire sauce provides complexity and umami flavor. For a vegan substitute, consider soy sauce, tamari shoyu, or coconut aminos.
Liquid smoke is made from condensation over a smoky fire. Look for a brand that doesn't add a lot of undesirable ingredients like salt or sugar.
Bacon provides fat to carry the flavor and also salt. So you don't need to add any more salt. For a vegan substitute, consider "bacon of the sea," a seaweed called dulse.
Sweet onions are less hot than ordinary onions. Vidalia and Walla Walla are two popular varieties.
Chipotle powder comes from smoked jalapeño peppers. If you want more kick, you can use a whole dried or canned chipotle.
Smoked black pepper adds a zesty campfire flavor. If you can't find any, plain black pepper will work.
The spice level in this version is toward the top end of what I can eat, and at that I was adding rice. Next time, I might use less chipotle powder, but the first time I tasted it I could barely detect the heat. If you want a milder dish, reduce the chipotle powder or substitute smoked paprika. If you want it spicier, add more chipotle powder, chili paste, or a hot pepper.
