Soul Food Black Eyed Peas with Smoked Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas (fresh can be substituted)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large smoked turkey wings (diced)
• 1 large yellow onion (diced)
• 4 cloves garlic (diced)
• 1 bell pepper (yellow, orange, red, or green, diced)
• 3 celery stalks (diced)
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs

Instructions

1. 1

   If using dried black-eyed peas, put them in a large pot and cover with about 4 inches of water. Soak the peas overnight, then drain the water (reserve 2 cups of the liquid for later) and rinse. If you're pressed for time, boil the peas for 2-3 minutes, remove pot from heat and let soak for an hour.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the smoked turkey and sauce for 2 minutes per side. Remove the wings and set aside.

3. 3

   Add onion, peppers, celery and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add a pinch or two of the seasoning to the vegetables as you saute.

4. 4

   Add the spices and cook until the entire mixture is coated with the spices, about 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Pour in the stock and reserved water, and drop in the bay leaves. Add the turkey wings back to the pot along with more seasoning and the fresh thyme sprigs.

6. 6

   Add the peas to the pot and simmer until the peas are very soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

7. 7

   Taste for seasonings, and add more if desired. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, then transfer the black-eyed peas to a serving bowl. Serve with rice.