1. black-eyed peas for a lucky new year

Instant Pot Hoppin' John Black-Eyed Peas

In 2019, one of my goals is to make 50 new recipes from cookbooks or websites. I tried for 26 in 2018 - one every two weeks - and by December 31, 2018, I made 64 new recipes. It turns out I really enjoyed this project. I learned a lot about cooking and I learned to trust my instincts. I'm still working on tasting things as I go and salting things that need salting, but given that I often have to whip up dinner in 30 minutes or less, I think I'm doing pretty good. I've found a lot of great recipes and I'm looking forward to finding even more favorites this year.

It seemed appropriate that I should start off the year right and make black-eyed peas for good luck. I did a little research and ended up mostly following this recipe for Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas from Simply Happy Foodie. I made a couple of adjustments, I didn't have any bacon or a ham hock but this Food52 recipe for Vegan Hoppin' John assured me that the flavor would be good. I also took their advice, added a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and lowered the broth. And of course I soaked my beans even though I didn't have to, so I used yet another recipe to reduce the Instant Pot cooking time from 17 minutes to 10. It all turned out great. And hopefully, I've earned some good luck by devouring black-eyed peas. 

Recipe 1 of 50 - Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas from Simply Happy Foodie

And no, the photo is not the greatest. I don't even care. I just want to document that I've done something fun this year. 

Instant Pot Hoppin' John Black-Eyed Peas*

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 celery Ribs, diced

5 mini bell peppers, red and orange

2 small bay leaves

1/2 tsp dried thyme (normally I'd use fresh but I ran out!)

2 Tbsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, pressed 

2-1/2 cups veggie broth made from Better Than Boullion no chicken broth

1 14-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1-1/4 cups Black-Eyed Peas, soaked for 6 hours

Instructions

Turn the pressure cooker on to the Sauté function. When the display reads Hot, add the oil.

Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to turn translucent.

Add the thyme, smoked paprika, pepper, and salt. Stir.

Add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.

Add the broth, canned tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar.

Stir in the black-eyed peas.

Place the lid on the pressure cooker, locking it in place. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.

Cancel the Sauté function.

Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button (or dial) and use the + or - button (or dial) to select 10 minutes.

When the cooking cycle has ended and the pot beeps, let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15-minute Natural Release), then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure.

When the pin in the lid drops down, open it and give the contents a stir. Discard bay leaves.

Serve over rice for a Hoppin' John. I served this over brown basmati and it was delicious! It isn't terribly spicy because I have to accommodate my spice-averse 4-year-old, but I topped mine with a healthy dose of Red Hot and a dollop of sour cream. Happy New Year! 

*I'm publishing this recipe because I made serious edits to it. See the links for the original made with ham or the vegan version made without.