Cajun black beans on a cold winter day

Fruit in the Kitchen
#1

This is a basic black beans recipe which uses leftover ham from Christmas. You can also use kielbasa (polish sausage) chopped or sliced.

3/4 pound of chipped ham
1 pound of dry black beans or 3 cans of the ready to eat if you lean that way
1 quart of tomato sauce (home canned, or use a large can of the commercial stuff if you must)
12 ounces of whole kernel corn. (use a can of the commercial stuff if you must)
1 large onion chopped (I prefer sweet, you may like sharp)
1 large bell pepper chopped(I keep a bag of sweet pepper in the freezer)

Put the beans in a large pot with 3 quarts of water and cook them on medium low (slow steady boil) for an hour. Rinse and drain the beans, and put them back in the pot with enough water to just cover the beans. Add the ham, tomato sauce, onion, corn, and pepper. Cook on low simmer for another hour then add the following spices

2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning
1 heaping teaspoon of dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of powdered cardamon (adjust to taste, I like cardamon in cajun dishes)
1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves more or less
1/2 teaspoon of celery seed more or less
2 cloves garlic (or use garlic powder)
Salt and pepper to taste
If adventurous, add 2 Cuban Oregano (Torbangun) leaves

Leave the spices in the soup to meld flavors for about 10 minutes, then serve with fresh cornbread.

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#2

the Acadian French here make a traditional split pea soup with the ham and hambone. very tasty. served with traditional ploye pancakes.

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#3

I’m going to post this because it is an interesting tidbit of information. Some foods we eat can affect a man’s sexual ability. This is probably because it supplies nitrogen in a form our body can use. The recipe is simple, boil a pound of Blue Pod Capucijner peas in water until tender. Add a bit of chipped ham to enhance the flavor. Salt and pepper are the only seasonings needed. I like to make fresh cornbread to go with them. It is not viagra, but the effect is unmistakable. Watermelon can have a similar effect though not as strong.

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#4

I love me some Cajun food… im going to doubt your recipe just a little.

I see no garlic in there… and im thinking celery instead of celery seed. Cajun Holy Trinity is Onion, Bell Peppers and Celery…

Maybe your recipe isnt for the backwoods folk.

The watermelon thing- Citrulline is the thing that makes things happen. A precursor to nitric oxide. The rind has the highest concentration.

Beans- rich in arginine which is a precursor to nitric oxide.

#5

What makes blue pod Capucijner peas better at NO production than say other beans?

Drinking more beet juice can give you more NO too.

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#6

Yep, I missed the garlic in the recipe. I put some in but forgot to write it down. As for celery, it can overwhelm the flavor so go light. I’ll edit the recipe to include the garlic.

Subdood, I have no idea why they work, but I am certain that they are effective. I’ve experienced the effect many times in the last 20 years. I could name a few other foods that have similar effect.

#7

saw a vid. the other day on you tube by David the Good. stated velvet beans also have the same affect and are also considered medicinal. only eat in small amounts as it can be toxic.

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#8

It has reached me that black-eyed peas are considered lucky. For example, during Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savanna the army carried off all the food … except for the black-eyed peas, which they considered inedible. That was lucky! Consuming even one helping before midnight on New Year’s Eve should put you in line for luck or riches sometime during the next twelve months.

Accordingly I prepared the following recipe in my instant-hot-jiffy-crock-pressure-cooker pot yesterday. It was decent, too.

Creole-Style Black-Eyed Peas

Mayo Clinic 04 Sep 2019

Retrieved: 27 Dec 2022

Servings: 8; Serving size: About 1 c; Total carbohydrate: 31 g; Dietary fiber: 6 g; Sodium: 50 mg; Saturated fat: Trace; Total fat: <1 g; Trans fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 11 g; Monounsaturated fat: Trace; Calories: 168; Added sugars: 0 g; Total sugars: 6 g

Ingredients

  • 3 c water
  • 2 c dried black-eyed peas
  • 1 t low-sodium vegetable-flavored bouillon granules
  • 2 c canned unsalted tomatoes, crushed
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 3 t minced garlic
  • 1/2 t dry mustard
  • 1/4 t ground ginger
  • 1/4 t cayenne pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 c chopped parsley

Directions

In a medium saucepan over high heat, add 2 c of the water and black-eyed peas. Bring to a boil for 2 min, cover, remove from heat and let stand for 1 hr.

Drain the water, leaving the peas in the saucepan. Add the remaining 1 c of water, bouillon granules, tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, mustard, ginger, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Stir together and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer slowly for 2 hr, stirring occasionally. Add water as necessary to keep the peas covered with liquid.

Remove the bay leaf, pour into a serving bowl and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Remarks

Black-eyed peas are an excellent source of folate. A single serving of this recipe provides 70% of the daily recommended amount.

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