This month, William’s Mom brought me Momma Cherri’s Soul in a Bowl Cookbook—based on recipes from England’s only soul food joint—by Charita Jones. The recipes are hardly novel to a Southern palatte, but for her British audience, Jones explains the soul of soul food as best you can on a written page.
A great portion of the recipes feature meat as the star: fried chicken, chicken wings, fish cakes, pork chops, Philly cheese steak, catfish. But I managed to take one of her few vegetarian creations and add a little meaty soul to it myself. Black-eyed peas, meet your new best friend, Tasso ham.
A bite of smoky Tasso in this largely veggie concoction is a porky surprise good enough to make you cry. Just a handful will do.
Of course, you could make this vegetarian, or hell, vegan if you skip the cheese. But I recommend sneaking in some secret soul.
Baked Black-eyed Pea Chili
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup (or more) Tasso ham, optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
3 1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup fresh (or frozen) corn kernels
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Generous shake (or two) of Tobasco
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.
In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium high. Saute onion, peppers, tasso, and garlic for 6 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Stir in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, Tobasco, salt, and pepper. Cook until mixture is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons cilantro.
Pour black-eyed pea mixture into a large casserole dish (I used a deep 9 x 12). Top with cheese, and bake until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese golden.
Serve over rice, or, better yet, with cornbread croutons. (Just cut old cornbread into small hunks, toss with olive oil or butter and toast.)
Serves 6 as main course