Black-Eyed Peas with Pork and Greens

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
• 1 pound pork neck bones
• 3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 cups cold water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces smoked ham, diced
• 1 bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves torn into pieces

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Rinse the dried black-eyed peas and pick out any stones. Put them in a pot, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain.

2. In a large heavy pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute.

3. Add the pork neck bones, drained peas, 6 cups cold water, bay leaf, thyme, cumin, black pepper, cayenne and smoked ham. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour.

4. Stir in the diced tomatoes with green chile peppers and the salt. Simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding water as needed to keep everything covered, until the peas are tender and the neck bones reach 145°F (63°C).

5. Stir in the kale and cook 10 minutes until tender. Remove the bay leaf and bones, shred the meat from the bones back into the pot, and taste, adjusting the cayenne. Serve hot.