Friday, January 1, 2010

New Year's Luck - Black Eyed Peas with Brown Rice

Happy New Year!

Here in the South, our good luck charm for the new year is to make black eyed peas with rice. An old myth mentions the peas looking like old coins, although I don't see a resemblance. A few people even throw a dime into the dish to see who comes out the luckiest, but knowing my luck, I'd be the person who swallows it instead - and that's not how I want to start out my year.

I chose to cook everything together in a crock pot, but I had never cooked rice in a slow cooker before, and it came out over done. It still tastes great, but it's not a looker. Preparing the rice and peas first, then placing the sausage and extras over the top might make for a better presentation.

Black Eyed Peas with Brown Rice

32 oz black eyed peas
14 oz brown rice
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp coriander
1 tbsp olive oil
2 organic chicken sausages
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves

Rinse and drain the black eyed peas and add to a crock pot set to high. Next add the ingredients of brown rice through coriander and stir well.

Add the olive oil to a shallow pan and set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken sausages and cook until all sides are browned. While the sausages are cooking, roughly chop the onion and garlic. Once the sausages have browned, move to a cutting board to cool, and in the same pan, add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5 min until translucent. Slice the sausages thinly, and add to the crock pot with the onion and garlic.

Allow the dish to cook for 4 hours on high heat, or cook for 6-8 hours on medium heat. Check within the last hour for water level and for the softness of the rice. Garnish with green onions or parsley if desired.

~Yields 6-8 servings.

~Original by Brie.

Make sure to have some cornbread on the side! I used a cornbread recipe from Herbivoracious which was delicious!

12 comments:

  1. I imagine overcooking the rice makes is even more lucky!

    Happy New Year, Brie!

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  2. bwahaha, extra points for making me laugh about my kitchen mishap. Happy New Year!

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  3. I would definitely choke on the dime, I'm with you on that! If it's not burnt, just tell yourself the overcooked rice was purposeful porridge, no sweat. Happy New Year!!!

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  4. yes, thankfully it was not burned, and my accidental porridge kept me full all weekend. i hope that also means i have an extra good year. ;)

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  5. Accidental porridge sounds good to me :) I'd love to try it minus the chicken- It looks so comforting- one of those dishes you can eat with a hug spoon in a huge bowl and feel hugely contented afterwards!

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  6. Sometimes, the less-than-gorgeous meals are the ones that taste great! Sounds comforting. I love blackeyed peas.

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  7. I always love porridge so I would love this one. Simple and nice.

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  8. I was going to say it looked like a traditional risotto before I read you had overcooked the rice.

    Flavor profile is king in any case!

    Regards,
    CCR
    =:~)

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  9. Happy 2010, Brie! And this sounds like something good to start with. Cheers!
    Best wishes, Kristy

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  10. Hey, mushy peas are a big deal in the UK, right, so maybe you'll just bring here to the States with a newer, hiper, black-eyed-pea version!

    Happy New Year!

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  11. Ooops: hiper = hipper... which I'm obviously not. :P

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  12. @Sanjana yes, the dish is so comforting! great way to start out the new year just sitting on the couch and relaxing with loved ones.

    @Tasty Eats ha, yes, if its not pretty, you know its got to taste great to make up for it. ;)

    @Mary yes, i love this dish and look forward to it every year.

    @CCR yes! thanks for saying it could pass for risotto though :)

    @MLS Happy New Year!

    @Mae yes, we need to keep track of this stuff we keep coming up with. our book deal has got to start somewhere! ;) and you're too hip for spelling

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