Vegetarian Black Eye Peas
Soak the black eye peas from a one pound package in water over night, picking over them to remove any unwanted debris. When you are ready to cook the peas, rinse them well.
3 quarts water
1 pound black eye peas
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Combine the above ingredients in a large pot. Bring the peas to a rapid boil, reduce heat and cover the pot and continue cooking the peas for about 2 more hours or until tender and a pea is easily mashed between your thumb and forefinger. While the peas are cooking, check periodically to ensure there is enough water in the p not, be sure and add water as needed. Add salt to taste and pepper if you like. You can also add some frozen okra if you like during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Serve hot. Some people like to serve black eye peas over steamed rice. A topping my family likes on our black eye peas follows.
Soul Salsa
1 large onion peeled an chopped
1 or more cucumbers peeled and diced
1 or more firm tomatoes cubed
Sliced green onions
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup vinegar (use cider, wine, or balsamic)
1/4 cup water
Mix all this up and put it in the refrigerator until time to use it. This is excellent as a topping for greens and for black eye peas.