A Really Good Pot of Black-Eyed Peas + Cornbread Waffles & Collard Greens

Okay, so the diet doesn't really start until tomorrow, so this warm dish of cornbread waffles, smoky black-eyed peas, and collard greens may be just the thing for tonight's dinner. It's a tradition in the South (and in parts of the Midwest, from what we understand) to eat black-eyed peas for good luck in the coming year. We also have greens to represent money or wealth. We have both eaten black-eyed peas and cornbread on New Year's Day every year since birth. It's not that we are particularly superstitious -- we just don't want to tempt fate.

We think our recipe for Collard Greens with Honey, Shallots, and Mushrooms is great because it's so easy. The greens are blanched in super-salty water to leach out any bitterness, and then they are sautéed with a touch of honey. Our Smoked Cheddar and Jalapeño Cornbread is good enough to star on the cover of our cookbook! This time, we cooked the very same recipe in the waffle maker for 3 1/2 minutes. This recipe will make 7 to 8 waffles. We recommend using both of these recipes when putting this dish together. 

To serve, place 1/2 a waffle on a plate, pile on the peas, greens, and plenty of the broth from the pot. Lean the other half of the waffle up against the mountain of peas, and garnish with plenty of hot sauce. (Serves 6.)

A Really Good Pot of Black-Eyed Peas

1 one-pound bag of dried black-eyed peas (soaked overnight*) 
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
1 white onion (diced)
1 portobello mushroom (diced)
1 green pepper (diced)
2 chipotle peppers (minced)
1 1/2 quarts vegetable broth
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

In a large soup pot over medium high heat, melt the butter and sauté the onion and mushroom until most of the liquid has evaporated and the onion has started to brown. Add  the green pepper, chipotle peppers, vegetable broth,  ketchup, soaked and drained black-eyed peas, and salt and pepper to taste to the pot and stir. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Serve with cornbread waffles and greens.

(Makes 2 1/2 quarts.) *Quick-soak method: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add dried peas, cover, turn the heat off, and allow them to soak for 1 hour.