2 c Dried black-eyed peas
2 oz Lean slab bacon, cut in matchsticks
1 Large onion, chopped
1 Small pod red pepper
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbls Wine or cider vinegar
2 c Cooked rice
6 Thick slices of lean bacon broiled
2 Tbls Fresh parsley, minced
Wash the peas and soak. Drain, cover with fresh water, salt, and simmer until tender, usually 45 minutes to an hour. Fry the bacon cut in matchsticks, starting them off in a cold skillet. Drain on paper toweling. In the same skillet, sauté the onion in the bacon fat until tender and very lightly browned. If you have a fresh hot pepper, mince it and add to the onions. If, in all probability, you have a dried pepper, it should be chopped and soaked in a few tablespoons of hot water for about half an hour and added with its liquid to the onions.
Preheat oven to 350˚. Broil the bacon and cook the rice while the peas are cooking. When the black-eyes are tender, drain, reserving ½ c of the pot liquor. Mix together the peas, matchsticks of bacon, onion, red pepper, rice, and vinegar. This should be done with a delicate touch to avoid mashing the peas. Use a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon. Add salt and black pepper, if necessary. Turn into a buttered casserole, dribble over it the reserved pot liquor, lay the broiled bacon slices on top, and bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Karen and I visited Anne and Harvey at their Evansville home in August of 1967. While we were there, Anne bought some black-eyed peas from a farmer down the street. We helped her shell them, and we had them for dinner. Karen and I will always remember how good they were. The recipe might have been something like this one.