Purple Hull Pea and Sausage Jambalaya

A family friend had a large yield from their garden and gave us several bags of purple hull peas they had put up. These peas are less earthy than their black eyed pea cousins and, like all southern peas, are super healthy with lots of dietary fiber, iron, protein and folate.

I served this with a pan of my Mama’s Cornbread – recipe here.

Finished dish is hearty and complex and quite delicious. With all the layers of flavor, every bite is a pleasure.

4 rashers of bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup rice
1 lb. sausage, sliced
3 cups purple hull peas
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
½ teaspoon each Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the bacon in a Dutch oven or other heavy stockpot. Drain on paper towels, leaving as much bacon fat in the pot as possible. Sauté the onion in the bacon grease until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Sprinkle over the flour and stir constantly for 5 minutes to cook the flour. Add in the rice and stir until coated in oil and lightly toasted. Toss in the sausage and cooked bacon and purple hull peas and stir until glistening. Pour in chicken stock and the can of Ro-Tel. Add in 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir while bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until peas are soft, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with cornbread.