Healthy and Delicious: Southern-Style Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon

Daniel Boulud's Southern-Style Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon is perfectly spicy with a deep (but not overwhelming) bacon flavor. After a first few bites, my boyfriend and I couldn’t get enough.

Ham Hocks and Crowder Peas From 'Down South'

Smoked ham hocks are a magical, transformative ingredient. The collagen-rich bony cuts of pork leg boast intense levels of umami and the ability to turn mere water into a silky broth in a matter of hours (a.k.a. pot liquor). Throw in freshly shelled crowder peas (a small Southern shell bean) to that cooking water, as Donald Link does in his new cookbook, Down South, and you'll wind up with a homey yet flavor-packed dish.

Mushy Peas

Mushy peas are miles away from boring, bland dishes you might associate with mush. Here, peas are cooked simply with butter, then mashed and seasoned with lemon, salt and pepper.

Sweet Pea Soup From 'Kitchen Confidence'

Kelsey Nixon's pea soup in her new cookbook, Kitchen Confidence, is a perfect example of resourceful pantry cooking.

Pickled Spring Peas

These pickled peas are wonderful because they lose none of their pea essence in the pickling process. Instead, they just gain a vivid tartness. I've used them in a quick pasta dish and have a few left that I want to use to garnish my next batch of asparagus soup (two spring vegetables that go so well together).

Split Pea Soup With Ham From 'Lighten Up, America!'

Split pea soup was a favorite of mine as a kid (did that make me a weird kid?). I was perfectly happy eating it from a can as I was from a big, lovingly attended-to pot. But I rarely make it these days; in fact, I had forgotten about the soup until opening up Allison Fishman Task's new cookbook, Lighten Up, America! Her lightened version isn't much different from the classic.

Carrot Pea Soup w/ Pancetta, Basil and Mint

Peas and carrots. The stuff of old-school cafeteria lunch lines, bizarre All That sketches, and Forrest Gump's propensity for metaphor and simile. Yes, it may seem like a somewhat tired combination, bordering on the cliché. But

French in a Flash: French Peas

Sweet little green peas are gussied up with shallots, diced ham, and a splash of cream. These are how peas were meant to taste.

Hearty One-Pot Black-Eyed Pea Stew With Kale and Andouille

This easy black eyed pea stew starts with andouille sausage and pork belly cooked until browned and crisped, then gets flavored with the Holy Trinity of Cajun cuisine: onions, celery, and green bell peppers, along with some leeks and garlic for extra flavor. Tender braised kale transform this into a full-on meal, while a shot of apple cider vinegar brightens up all the flavors.

Black Eyed Peas with Ham Hock

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