Macaroni With Greens Bacon And Black Eyed Peas Recipes

BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Rinse and sort black-eyed peas. Place peas and bacon in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let soak, covered, 1 hour. Do not drain., In a cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in thyme., Stir into pea mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste. If desired, garnish with fresh thyme leaves and additional crumbled bacon.

BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Place bacon in a 5-quart Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and crumble when cool enough to handle.
• Heat bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion, celery, and garlic in the drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, black-eyed peas, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and skim the top if necessary.
• Reduce heat to a simmer. Add bacon and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until peas are tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how tender you like them.

BACON AND PEA MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish or eight 12-ounce ramekins.
• For the bechamel: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until just crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the 3 1/2 cups milk, the parsley, peppercorns, crushed red pepper, bay leaf and nutmeg in another medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat and keep warm.
• When the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving 6 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the saucepan. If you have less than 6 tablespoons, make up the difference with the butter and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture is doughy and smells a bit nutty, about 1 minute.
• Strain in the warm milk about a half cup at a time into the flour mixture and cook, whisking to incorporate after each addition. The bechamel should be smooth and velvety. If it's chunky or too thick, whisk in some more milk.
• For the mac 'n' cheese: Remove the bechamel from the heat and add all of the cheeses; whisk to combine. Fold in half of the bacon. Next, fold in the macaroni, then the peas. Transfer to the prepared baking dish or ramekins. If using ramekins, place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining bacon pieces, the melted butter and a pinch each of salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the mac 'n' cheese and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the crust is browned on top, 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the baking vessel).
• Let rest for 10 minutes then serve.

BLACK-EYED PEAS 'N' PASTA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute green pepper, onion, jalapeno and garlic until onion is tender. Add tomatoes; bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes., Meanwhile, in a 6-qt. stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions., Add remaining ingredients to tomato mixture; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Drain pasta; return to pot. Stir in black-eyed pea mixture.