Johnny Utah's Black-eyed peas with black kale and smoked kielbasa

Chef Marlon Manty

Apparently, it’s good luck to eat black-eyed peas to ring in the New Year.  Apparently, Marlon Manty is a tad superstitious.  Lucky for us, he’s also a chef with a recipe for the occasion.

Ingredients:

• 2    yellow onions, diced
• 4    cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4    bunches Tuscan black kale
• 2#  smoked Kielbasa sausage cut into rings
• 2#   cooked black eyed peas, liquid reserved
• 1     bay leaf
• Zest of one lemon
•  Red chile flakes
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:
This is as easy as it is good.  The hardest part of this recipe is cooking the black-eyed peas.  As the beans are cooking, or the cans are being opened, thoroughly clean the kale and take out all of the stems.  Blanch the kale in really salty boiling water until it has no bite and strain well.  In a Large pan, brown the sausage slices well.  Add to the sausage the onions and garlic and cook until brown and tender.  Add to this the peas and kale with a half cup of the bean liquid.  Season and reduce together, about five minutes.  You can leave this loose and eat it like a soup or let it thicken and serve as a side to the holiday meal.

(Serves 8-10)