Farmers Market Purple Hull Peas with Jalapeno Cheese Sausage (Slow Cooker)

Farmers Market Purple Hull Peas with Jalapeno Cheese Sausage (Slow Cooker)
PicBuddy Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 384 Recipes: 8 Rep Power: 0	Description: If you like black-eyed peas, the close "cowpea" cousin that is a favorite in Texas, is the Purple Hull Pea. If you are really lucky (or grow your own, which is simple), you can have fresh ones so abundant that you don't know what to do with them. One of our best crops this year (and last) was the Purple Hull. I grew an heirloom variety known as "Red Ripper" and this recipe is based on a pound of shelled, frozen peas. As we ended up with over 100 pounds in the deep freezer, I have tried these many, many ways and this ended up being my favorite recipe for them. A very common protein to season and slow cook Purple Hulls, Black-eyeds or "cow peas" with is bacon (and the grease), but this is a little more Southeast (East Texan) with Jalapeno and Cheddar beef and pork sausage. Super easy and fills your home with an amazing aroma, all day (or night) long. Also pays a little bit of Homage to Louisiana Cajun style cuisine, but just slightly. This is a well seasoned, low sodium dish. Just a few generations ago, using cowpeas was not at the high end of culinary desire, yet they were a cheap staple food, often grown to feed only to cows, thus the nickname "cowpea". Today they are looked at in a much higher regard, and they truly are a very deeply embedded and authentic dish of the south. Total cost is about $10 and provides 6-8 servings at least.
Other:	Ingredients:
Time: 5-12 hours Difficulty: Easy Serving Size: 6-8 +	(1) Pound frozen Purple Hull Peas from your Farmers Market or garden. (Unfortunately canned are not suggested as they contain way too much sodium for a slow cooked dish) - I have heard that frozen 8 oz packages are now available on the East Coast and California that contain very minimal salt, which can be used as well if you can locate them. 1/2 Pound (2 links) cooked Beef and or Pork Jalapeno Cheese Sausage Links, thin sliced. (2) Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (This is a 'secret ingredient' - My favorite is Colgins Hickory wood smoked from Mexia Teas) 1 Tablespoon "Organic Better Than Bullion Vegetable Base" http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Bouillon-Organic-Vegetable/dp/B00016LAFW (1) Tablespoon "Organic Better Than Boullion Chicken Base" http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Bouillon-Chicken-Base/dp/B00016LA7K 14 oz can -No Salt Added- Sliced Stewed Tomatoes (should contain approx. only 20mg sodium per serving) (1) Tablespoon dried Parsley (1) PINCH powdered Gumbo File' (Powdered Sassafras Leaves) (5) Drops of Tabasco (1) Tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 Texas 1015 Yellow Sweet Onion, fresh diced (or any yellow sweet onion) 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed or very finely diced. 25 grinds of fresh ground black pepper (plus more for finishing) 5-8 grinds of fresh ground seasalt (smoked salish works excellently!) (Plus more for final seasoning)
Preparation:
Heat 2 cups of water in the slow cooker, covered on high. Have your favorite large stirring spoon ready. (I use an 8 quart Rival Crock Pot bought at HEB about two years ago and we are extremely happy with it. Heats fast and is very durable). Saute skillet
Instructions:
Add the pound of frozen Purple Hull Peas to your fully heated slow cooker, containing 2 cups of water. Add organic Vegetable and Chicken Base (pastes) and Worcestershire Sauce Leave covered on high for an hour (or two), stirring now and then, until peas are at least half way thawed. Turn heat down to low at that time. Saute your onion and garlic in butter until semi-lucid. Not all the way done, as it will finish in the pot. Add mixture to slow cooker. Add entire 14 oz can -no salt added- sliced stewed tomatoes with liquid (should contain approx. 20mg sodium per serving) Add about 25 grinds of fresh ground black pepper, and about 5-8 grinds of premium salt. Smoked Salish works fantastic, I use a blend of Pink Peruvian, Black and Red Hawaiian Lava Salt) - The salt variety is likely not that important but fun to play with, with all of the exotic varieties available today. At the very least, don't use common table granulated, yet kosher. Toss in your Tablespoon of dried Parsley, 5 drops of Tabasco, and just a tiny pinch of Gumbo File' (Powdered Sassafras Leaves), and cover. The less time you can keep the lid off, the better. Now it depends on when you want to eat. If it's in a few hours, turn heat up to medium, and toy around with high now and then. If you have time, just leave it on low for another 5-6 hours, stirring every hour or so, and re-covering as soon as possible to retain heat. (Don't take the lid off any more than you need to). When you are about an hour away from serving, and the peas are just starting to get soft enough to eat by a simple sample, add 1/2 pound cooked Beef and or Pork Jalapeno Cheese Sausage Links, sliced. And turn heat up to high. As with the aroma, you are naturally going to want to keep tasting this, and when the sausage is well heated all the way through, and the peas can be mashed up on the side of the pot with a spoon, you're done. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat down to warm, and you can snack on this all day long. Goes quite well when served over steamed white long grain rice (and brings it even closer to a Cajun dish that way). Also goes well spooned over hot crusty garlic cheese bread. Yum! Enjoy. * Tip - If you don't want to deal with the fresh garlic sauteed with the onion, just toss in a dab of jarred minced garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Saves times.

08-29-2008, 06:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
PicBuddy Banned Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 384 Recipes: 8 Rep Power: 0	Hello Suzie - Would there be a way for you to open a "Peas and Lentils' section for recipes perhaps? As this recipe doesn't really fall under pork or beef as it can use pork and/or beef sausage, yet that's not the main ingredient. Please give peas a chance. Thanks.