Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya

Scribbled in the guest book of a windowless restaurant that was once a welding shop in Galliano, Louisiana, is a fervent message for the proprietor: “God loves Alzina!” The writer may be in a special position to know. After all, Alzina Toups, who attends mass just across Bayou Lafourche at St. Joseph Catholic Church, has cooked for countless priests, nuns, and bishops over the past thirty-five years at her reservation-only restaurant. Then again, maybe the note’s author just figured that anybody who makes such a heavenly black-eyed pea jambalaya has got to be blessed. This recipe for jambalaya is one of her all-time most-requested. Like a traditional Creole jambalaya, it’s a one-pot mix of rice, vegetables, and meat. Toups’s deceptively simple version coaxes maximum flavor from a few well-chosen ingredients—bright bell pepper, two kinds of smoked sausage, and a double dose of jalapeño kick. “People love this one,” she says. “They wipe out their dish.”

Ingredients

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya (Yield: 8 servings)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, sliced
8 oz. mild smoked pork sausage, chopped or sliced
8 oz. hot smoked pork sausage, chopped or sliced
2 (15-oz.) cans black-eyed peas with jalapeños
2½ cups beef stock, add more as necessary
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1⁄3 cup chopped scallions
5–6 cups cooked long-grain rice prepared according to package directions

Preparation

Place a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften.

Add the sausage and cook for 10 minutes, until browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the black-eyed peas and broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.

Just before serving, stir in the parsley, scallions, and rice, adding additional warm broth 1/4 cup at a time if necessary to adjust consistency.