Quick Cooked Greens with Bacon and Black-Eyed Peas
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
1¾ hours, plus 4 hours soaking
Yield
Serves 4 as a main course 6 to 8 as a side dish
Ingredients
Cooked Black-Eyed Peas
½ pound black-eyed peas, soaked until rehydrated, overnight or at least 4 hours1 bay leaf 4 cloves garlic, whole7 cups water 1 ½ teaspoons table saltGreens and Remaining Ingredients
1 ½ teaspoons table salt 2 pounds kale, collard, mustard or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water and coarsely chopped4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), cut crosswise into thin stripsvegetable oil ½ medium onion, chopped fine2 medium cloves garlic, minced2 teaspoons cider vinegar Table saltInstructions
- Bring peas, bay leaf, garlic, and water to simmer in large saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are just tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salt, cover, and let peas stand until completely tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and discard bay leaf and garlic. (Beans in liquid can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 5 days.)
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan. Add salt and greens; stir until wilted. Cover and cook until greens are just tender, about 7 minutes; drain in colander. Rinse pan with cold water to cool, then refill with cold water. Pour greens into cold water to stop the cooking process. Gather handful of greens, lift out of water and squeeze until only droplets fall from them. Repeat with remaining greens. Roughly cut each bunch of greens. Set aside.
- Fry bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside. If necessary, add oil to bacon drippings to bring up to 2 tablespoons. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add greens; sauté, stirring, to coat with oil. Stir in black-eyed peas and 1 cup reserved bean cooking liquid. Add vinegar and reserved bacon, bring to simmer; cover, and cook to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Ladle portion of beans and greens into each of four soup plates; dress each with portion of vinegar and bacon bits. Serve.
for peas
for greens
Time
1¾ hours, plus 4 hours soakingYield
Serves 4 as a main course 6 to 8 as a side dishIngredients
Cooked Black-Eyed Peas
½ pound black-eyed peas, soaked until rehydrated, overnight or at least 4 hours
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, whole
7 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
Greens and Remaining Ingredients
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
2 pounds kale, collard, mustard or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water and coarsely chopped
4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), cut crosswise into thin strips
vegetable oil
½ medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Table salt
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cooked Black-Eyed Peas
½ pound black-eyed peas, soaked until rehydrated, overnight or at least 4 hours
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, whole
7 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
Greens and Remaining Ingredients
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
2 pounds kale, collard, mustard or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water and coarsely chopped
4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), cut crosswise into thin strips
vegetable oil
½ medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Table salt
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cooked Black-Eyed Peas
½ pound black-eyed peas, soaked until rehydrated, overnight or at least 4 hours
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, whole
7 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
Greens and Remaining Ingredients
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
2 pounds kale, collard, mustard or turnip greens; stemmed, washed in 2 or 3 changes of clean water and coarsely chopped
4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), cut crosswise into thin strips
vegetable oil
½ medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Table salt
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our quick cooked greens recipe, we wanted to rid these greens of some of their bitterness, but not all of it. A shallow blanching removed enough bitterness to make these assertive greens palatable but not so much as to rob them of their character. Once assertive greens had been shallow-blanched, they could be cooked in five minutes with bacon and black-eyed peas for a quick side dish.
Instructions
- Bring peas, bay leaf, garlic, and water to simmer in large saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are just tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salt, cover, and let peas stand until completely tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and discard bay leaf and garlic. (Beans in liquid can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 5 days.)
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan. Add salt and greens; stir until wilted. Cover and cook until greens are just tender, about 7 minutes; drain in colander. Rinse pan with cold water to cool, then refill with cold water. Pour greens into cold water to stop the cooking process. Gather handful of greens, lift out of water and squeeze until only droplets fall from them. Repeat with remaining greens. Roughly cut each bunch of greens. Set aside.
- Fry bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside. If necessary, add oil to bacon drippings to bring up to 2 tablespoons. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add greens; sauté, stirring, to coat with oil. Stir in black-eyed peas and 1 cup reserved bean cooking liquid. Add vinegar and reserved bacon, bring to simmer; cover, and cook to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Ladle portion of beans and greens into each of four soup plates; dress each with portion of vinegar and bacon bits. Serve.
for peas
for greens
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