A big Bermuda favourite and a regular on picnic and get-together menus. Identical to Peas & Plenty, a New Year’s Day dish in Bermuda, as in the American South. Eating whole beans, in which is secreted a shiny new coin, on January 1 helps ensure there will be prosperity in the coming year.
- Ingredients:
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 1 lb black-eye peas
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- ½ lb smoky bacon
- 2 Bermuda onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- ¾ chouriço sausage, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Tobasco sauce to taste
- Method:
- Boil the peas and thyme until the peas have split. Drain, reserving about a quarter cup of water with the peas. In a deep, heavy bottomed pot, fry up the bacon until just crisped and remove with a slotted spoon. In the same pot, add the onion, garlic and chouriço, cook until golden and the chouriço just browned. While this is going on, boil the rice in plenty of well-salted water until tender. Drain and keep ready.
- Drain off most of the fat. Add the peas and water, stir and cover a few minutes. Add the cooked rice and reserved bacon and mix well. Cook over lowest heat until nearly dry. Take care not to scorch the mixture. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and Tobasco sauce.
