BEANS

Black Eyed Peas

I don’t like holidays, but I do like food. My way through holidays is to cook. For Christmas (not my holiday…a savior ain’t in the cards for MAN), I love the Sicilian tradition of seven fishes, even if they aren’t all fish. One of my old dear friends who died too young, Peter Catanzarro, came from an Italian family in Canarsie. I loved hearing his story of Christmas dinner, the calamari and the scampi. I loved his food. He cooked Chicken Catanzarro, a simple Italian American dish that was ambrosia in his hands. He would prepare it in his tiny galley kitchen and we would eat it in front of the TV, seated on foam chairs, with 2 litre bottles of Pinot Grigio from Astor Liquors. Another friend who died too young and was a fabulous cook was Jon Greenberg. Jon had lived in Rome and came back with a serious Italian food muse. When he moved in next door we used to cook together, keeping the doors of our two apartments propped open. We stewed octopus and bought the first widely available organic, free-range meat at the Union Square farmer’s market. He browned a rolled veal shoulder roast in mire poix and braised it on top of the stove in white wine. Jon always served lentils at New Year’s. Beans on New Year’s is a Latin tradition. Down south they make black eyed peas. After the New Year’s eve dinner and booze, it is fitting to have humble beans and greens. This year I made Black Eyed Peas with kale. I had forgotten to soak the beans overnight. That’s no big deal with black eyed peas. They cook very quickly. Instead I covered them with water, brought them to a boil and let the rest for an hour. Then I cooked them with a smoked pork bone for several hours. I added kale and finished it with parsley, scallions, and vinegar, and served it with jalapeno peppers, smoked ham and grilled Italian sweet sausage on the side. Smoked meat goes beautifully with black eyed peas.

4 cups black eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
¼ cup olive oil or lard
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot diced
1 rib celery diced
½ large green pepper diced
¼ cup chopped garlic
1 smoked ham hock, ham bone or other smoked pork bone
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons cumin
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
Black pepper
salt
1 bunch kale chopped
¼ cup minced parsley
¼ cup chopped scallions
¼ cup vinegar
Cooked ham and sausage
If you soak the beans overnight you will have to make a stock of the vegetables, the bone and water first. I prefer actually starting with dried black eyed peas or bringing them to boil in a pot of water and letting them rest for an hour to absorb the water.

In  large pot heat the olive oil and sauté first the onions, until golden, then the carrot, celery, pepper and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add the spices and grind in some pepper (but don’t add salt) and cook briefly. Add the beans and turn them over until coated with the oil, then add the ham bone and cover with enough water to make a soup. Bring to a boil and simmer, adding water if necessary, for 2 hours. When the peas are starting to get salt, add a teaspoon or so of salt. After the beans are cooked turn off the heat and let them rest for a few hours. Bring back to a boil, add the kale and cook until very soft. Check for salt. Meanwhile heat the ham and fry the sausage if you are using them. When ready to serve add the parsley, scallions and vinegar to the soup. Serve with rice, meat and chopped jalapenos peppers. Now you have luck for the whole year! It’s twenty fucking twelve, we need it!