3 cans of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 Jalapeños, minced
8 oz of smoked ham, diced
3 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup water
1 tsp cumin
2 tbs spicy BBQ sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, sauté the onion and jalapeño reserving a tbs of each for later. Add in the ham and bell pepper sautéing for a few more minutes. Stir in the bacon, black eyed peas, water, cumin and BBQ sauce.
Let the pot come to a simmer and then turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook the beans on low for an hour, stirring occasionally. I like a thicker consistency so I mashed the beans a little bit while stirring to add more body to the sauce. About 5 minutes before the beans were done I added the tbs of jalapeño and onion I had reserved. This was just to give the dish a little crunch.
Black eyed peas are supposed to bring you luck if eaten on the first day of the year- I’ll find out if this is true!