People close to me know that I laugh and joke a lot. In fact, I incessantly crack myself up for reasons that only I will understand. Take for example, when we were at Whole Foods I prodded Dan to ask where we could find “black eyed peas” because I couldn’t say it without giggling and thinking about the hip hop group. Hehe. Childishness aside, this black-eyed peas dish got the last laugh because…it was so good! It was flavorful with a bit of punch, and it is hearty enough to be eaten as a meal.

I had not cooked beans in a long time and this marked my first time to use [giggle] black-eyed peas [/giggle] in a dish. I haven’t eaten beans cooked this way either, so I didn’t know what to expect.

I just trusted the recipe — this is new territory for me not only for the unfamiliarity of dish but also because I rarely follow the recipe.

Little did I know that a couple of weeks later, I’d find myself strictly adhering to the bread recipe to get it right. This is how progress starts for someone who has aversion to rigidity and structure.

See? I promptly followed the instruction to cook the shrimp and then add wine.

And mix the bean mixture again.

My self-control on changing the recipe paid off:

It looks like it has curry, but it doesn’t. It just has the perfect touch of spiciness from the red pepper flakes, garlic and black pepper. It will warm and fill you up on a cold night. You can enjoy it warm on its own or with rice, or store in the freezer or refrigerator for later consumption. We noticed that it tasted even better the next day.

This soup is definitely a keeper!

Here’s the recipe:

Garlicky Black-Pepper Shrimp and Black-Eyed Peas [from Gourmet, March 2009]
Serves: 6

* Active time:25 min
* Start to finish:40 min

For Black-Eyed Peas

• 4 bacon slices
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
• 2 (15-oz) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

For Shrimp

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined [I removed the tails for ours]
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

Make Black-Eyed Peas:
*      Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate, then tear into small pieces.
*      Cook scallions, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in fat in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add black-eyed peas and broth and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Make Shrimp:
*      Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season shrimp with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook shrimp with garlic, stirring occasionally, until just opaque (shrimp will not be fully cooked), about 3 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil, then briskly simmer 2 minutes. Add bacon and black-eyed-pea mixture and simmer until just heated through (mixture will be juicy). Discard bay leaves.