Cookin' With Leo

By Leocthasme

Sure is an unlikely name, ain't it? But I remember this one from the days of doin' Chili Cook Offs. Me an' John used to make a dip we called Sheep Dip, which attracted a bit of attention, but that never had peas in it. This one does, Black Eyed peas, that is. The guys that made it said it was 'West Texas Black Eyed Pea Dip'. That was such a long name and I didn't know 'em to be from no part of Texas, but when you get out around a bunch of Chili buffs, they all come up with tall tales, even if they ain't Texas Tall Tales. Of course, I just had to take the name a step further and peg it fer what it is, just plain ol' Pea Dip, just so I could get your attention. Well, at the time I did ask these guys if I could have the recipe and they wrote it all out. Later on I had to try it, only because I could not believe all the stuff what went in it. Thought they might be sorta' passin' on some kind of a Texas Tall Tale, but when I tried it, it was real good dippin' stuff. An since y'all are gonna' be sittin' around watchin' football, soakin' up CKA, most Texans that is (only place I know where they drink that stuff), I'll take my Bud or Mich, I just thought this would go along with such activities. So go on, eye ball the big screen, pop a few tops, an' crunch some munchies with Pea Dip.

Ok here is what we need to make this stuff. Better read the long list first to be sure you have everything. It might be that you have to jaunt out on a little shoppin' trip.

½ of a green bell pepper, chopped fine.

2 stalks of celery, chopped fine too.

1 medium, white onion, same thing.

1 tspn, course ground black pepper.

2 tblspns, Louisiana Hot Sauce. Special Note: I like it this way, but then some of my Yankee buddies may think this is pretty extreme, y'all may want to try 1 tablespoon first, and if you like it, then go for the rest.

½ cup of just regular ol' catsup, don't even matter if it's the 57 varieties kind, whichever.

Salt, y'all be careful with this stuff. Just in case you ever noticed I hardly ever use salt, now days, that is. Almost all canned stuff and things like catsup have enough salt in them to take care of most recipes. But, then again, taste it and if it needs salt, shake a bit into the mix.

3 bouillon cubes, chicken flavor is good here.

¼ tsp grated nutmeg.

¼ tsp cinnamon.

2 cans, 15-16 oz, black eyed peas.

1 can, 15-16 oz, Ro-Tel™ tomatoes.

1 jalapeno seeded and chopped.

2 cloves garlic, minced.

1 tsp sugar.

½ cup bacon grease. When I cook my breakfast, with bacon of course, I always save the grease from the bacon and I do use it for some cooking recipes. On the other hand, if y'all don't save such stuff then use regular ol' lard, Bacon drippings taste so much better though.

3 tblspns. Flour.

That's it. Check out that list and make sure you got everything.
Got everything? Then let's get cookin'.

Combine the bell pepper, celery, onion, black pepper, hot sauce, catsup, salt (if necessary), bouillon cubes, nutmeg, and cinnamon in 3-4 quart pot. Cook that on medium heat just to the boiling point, and stir well to be sure the bouillon cubes are dissolved. Now add the black eyed peas, garlic, jalapeno, tomatoes, and sugar. Cover and let that simmer for 30 minutes. Combine the bacon grease with the flour, and stir that in to the mix. Let that cook at least another 10 minutes and stir it well to blend in all the ingredients. Cut the heat and let it stand a few minutes to thicken.

Some corn chips, and such are good for dippin in the warm pea dip. An' be sure to have a few cases of CKA for the Texans and Bud and Mich for the Yanks.