In this little twist on beans and cornbread, we used canned black-eyed peas and made johnnycakes instead of the traditional cornbread. The black-eyed peas recipe once accompanied the Blackened Fish during Dan’s time at Monarch. It is super simple to make and really delicious.
Beans and Cornbread 4 Servings
For the Beans 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1½ cups vegetable stock
6 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. creole seasoning or ½ tsp. cayenne and 1 tsp. each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch green onions, greens only, chopped for garnish
For the Johnnycakes 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
• In a large pan, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
• Add the black-eyed peas and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the liquid by almost half, about 5 minutes.
• Add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly, then season with the creole spices.
• Remove the beans from heat, cover and set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Then add the eggs, oil and buttermilk and whisk until combined.
• Heat a cast iron or regular griddle over medium-high heat and grease with butter. Use 1/3 cup of batter per johnnycake to make them about 3-inches in diameter. When the tops begin to bubble, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Serve the black-eyed peas over the “cornbread” and garnish with the chopped green onions.
This article appears in August 2013.