Cowpeas with Rosemary and Bay Laurel Broth

Freshly shelled summer cowpeas are cooked in a broth flavored with rosemary, bay laurel, and garlic. Throw in some wilted summer greens a piece of your favorite bread and you have a comforting summer dish! If you’d like to head straight to this vegan and gluten free recipe, scroll to the bottom of the post.

There comes a point during the summer when my body has had way too many cold and raw dishes. Despite the fact that I love simple summer salads like this one and this one, my body likes to gently remind me that it needs some warmer dishes, too. I’ve become better at listening to those cravings instead of ignoring them or thinking they’re odd. So here we are, a comforting and humble bowl of cooked cowpeas in an herbaceous broth in the middle of a very hot summer!

So What is a Cowpea?!

Chances are, you know one of the most popular varieties of cowpea: the black-eyed pea! In the South, they’re often called field peas or Southern peas. They’re a member of the legume family that can be harvested in three different ways: young immature pods (eaten like a green bean), mature pods like you see above (to be enjoyed shelled), and dried pods (to be shelled, saved, and used like a dried bean/pea). The mature pods have the best flavor in my opinion. And, they don’t require soaking prior to cooking like the dried ones!

My first exposure to fresh cowpeas was when I lived in East Texas. A farmer brought the zipper cream variety one summer Saturday along with a clunky shelling machine. I watched in fascination as the machine couldn’t shell them fast enough to meet the customer demand. Eventually, the machine gave out but not before spewing empty pods and stray peas every which way! I decided to ask if he’d be willing to sell me some unshelled peas to which he happily obliged. I remember spending that summer evening shelling them, enjoying the repetitive and meditative task. From that point on it became something I look forward to each summer. That is, if I’m lucky enough to get my hands on some local cowpeas!

About This Cowpea Recipe

This cowpea recipe is one that I developed last summer with herbs from the garden. The ingredient list is short, relying on the trio of rosemary, bay leaf, and garlic to lend the most flavor. Depending on your peas, they’re ready in as little as 30 minutes though it’s best to factor in an extra 10-15 minutes to cook them to your desired tenderness. Once the cowpeas are done, I like to add a bunch of summer greens to the pot so that the residual heat can wilt them down. Depending on what’s seasonally available, I’ll either use amaranth greens, sweet potato greens, or kale if I happen to be lucky enough to find some. Enjoy the peas as-is or serve them with your favorite bread or cornbread!

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