MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

     Title: Southern Black Eyed Peas
Categories: Beans
     Yield: 1 Batch

    16 oz Dry black eyed peas (360 g)
     3    Smoked ham hocks
     1 sm Onion; chopped
   1/2    Green bell pepper; chopped
     2 tb Butter
     2 qt Water (1.9 L)
     1 qt Chicken broth (950 ml)
     3    Bay Leaves
    15 oz Can diced tomatoes (422 g)
     1 tb Garlic; minced
     3    Chicken bouillon cubes

MMMMM-------------------PBJ'S CREOLE SEASONING------------------------
     2 tb Celery salt
     2 tb Brown sugar
     2 tb Paprika
     1 tb Garlic powder
     1 tb Onion powder
     1 tb Chili
     1 tb Cumin
     1 tb Oregano
     1 tb Black pepper
     1 ts Thyme
   1/2 ts Cayenne

 Focusing on the beans is the first thing you need to do. So pour your
 package of black eyed peas into a big bowl and vigilantly look
 through them and remove all the bad ones (discolored, split, or
 smashed).

 After removing the bad beans, cover the remaining good beans with cool
 water, and store in the refrigerator over night or for at least 8
 hours. This is not a requisite step, but I like to do it anyway. Old
 folks think this cuts down on the cooking time because sitting the
 black eyed peas in the water for hours softens them which is evident
 by the swelling of the beans.

 Chop your onions and peppers into small pieces.

 Place a pot over medium heat, then add your butter, onions, peppers,
 and minced garlic, then stir in well. Sautee them for 5 to 7 minutes.

 Add your bouillon cubes, bay leaves, and 4 to 5 tb of PBJ's Creole
 Seasoning, then stir in well. Now my personal seasoning is not going
 to give the black eyed peas that much salt, so feel free to add more
 salt at the end once the black eyed peas are done if you feel you
 need more. My seasoning makes them just salty enough to taste, but
 sometimes I do end up needing to add more salt.

 Follow that up by adding your hocks. Make sure to rinse them off
 first to remove any residue that maybe on them.

 Next, you're going to add your black eyed peas and your broth. This
 broth gives it so much flavor but because of how much flavor my
 personal creole seasoning gives this dish, you don't really need the
 broth but more flavor is always better right? But yeah, if you don't
 have broth don't worry they should still be very good as I've made
 them without broth a few times before.

 Add your water and diced tomatoes, then stir everything in well.

 Cover the black eyed peas with a lid, leaving a crack on the sides so
 the liquid doesn't overflow. Covering them gets them nice and tender.

 Cook the black eyed peas for at least 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Make sure to
 stir them periodically, every 30 minutes or so, so they don't stick.
 I used a non sticking pot so I didn't really need to worry about that
 much. If you're not using a non sticking pot, pay close attention to
 them to make sure they don't stick, especially during the last hour
 of cooking time. Enjoy!

 Recipe FROM: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFzHleSTcDU>

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