For the Love of Food

I know this doesn’t look amazingly appetizing, but you can only make this stuff look so good. Well, Better Homes & Gardens managed to make it look excellent…

Anyways, I have been trying out some of the recipes that I have been meaning to cook for ages from Better Homes & Gardens. And, I have not come across a bad one yet – they are all excellent. This stew is so heart warming and filling, even though it makes 10 servings, and there are only 2 of us (eating solid foods), I made it all and froze the rest in single serving portions for those days when I just don’t want to cook – gasp! Yes, it happens to the best of us. Some days it’s just nicer when someone else could do the cooking – even if it was me in the past – oh, I can’t wait to bring that microwave back home with me in May (I’ll tell you more about it once I’ve got it)!

Ingredients:
454 grams of dried Black-eyed Peas
12 Cups of Water
6 Cups of Chicken Broth
6 Cups of Water
1 Kilogram of Pork Hocks (the original recipe calls for them to be smoked)
3 stalks of Celery, sliced
1 large Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
5 cloves of Garlic, halved
2 Tablespoons of Oregano
1 teaspoon of crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 teaspoon Salt
5 Cups of Cooked Rice

Directions:
In a huge (I mean really really big) 8-10 quart pot, combine the peas with 12 cups of water. Bring them to boiling and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.

Drain and rinse the beans, then return to the pot, add the broth and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the pork hocks on all sides. Add the celery, onions, bell pepper,garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and stir for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Using a pair of tongs, snuggle the pork hocks under the beans and add the celery mixture to the peas and stir. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until the peas are tender.

remove the pork hocks to a cutting board and let cook. Once cool, cut off meat into small pieces and return to the pea stew. Discard the bones, or save for making broth in another recipe.

Serve over rice.

Makes 10 servings.

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