Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Sausage
In the first half of Top Chef Season 4's finale in Puerto Rico, Antonia Lofaso was eliminated after serving a stew with seriously undercooked pigeon peas. To simplify the process and save time, Gail Simmons skips the pigeon peas and uses black-eyed peas instead, which do not require overnight soaking and cook right in the pot in about an hour. The result is a thick, luscious stew loaded with tender peas and spicy Italian sausage. More Recipes from F&W Editors More Hearty Stews
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Recipe Summary
Ingredients
Directions
Make Ahead
The stew can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Notes
Gail makes her hearty stew with dried black-eyed peas, the small beige bean with the black "eye." Black-eyed peas are particularly popular in the South, but they're also easy to find in supermarkets around the country. To make the dish more vibrant, Gail uses spicy Italian sausage, but if you don't like the heat, sweet Italian sausage is a fine substitute.
Suggested Pairing
This hearty, down-home stew gets a kick from spicy Italian sausage; tannins tend to intensify the heat from spice, so pair this dish with a fruity, low-tannin red. The Barbera grape, native to Italy's Piedmont region, is unusual because it has deep color and lots of flavor, but very little tannic structure.