We took a greyhound bus around the states for a month. Mini & I, fresh out of high school climbed aboard with only backpacks and a 30 day pass to get on any bus to any where within the continental US. It was dirty and tiring, exhilarating and crazed…overall extraordinary. To this day I cant believe Mini’s parents went for it. California, Arizona, Iowa…and the most memorable of all places- New Orleans, Louisiana. This city, so rich in history and so thick with culture. There was a peculiar ambiance, a texture to the air. I’m just going to say it…call me batshit crazy if you want- it felt fucking haunted. Not in an alarming way really, it surprisingly didn’t creep me out. Here I was in the home of voodoo, mosquitoes the size of catchers mits and the lovely, delicious Cafe Du Monde. Just the memory of Mini and I, breakfasting in the French quarter, savoring cafe au lait & beignets, still gives me that funny pull in my chest. We took it all in, walked everywhere, experienced as much as possible. Minis brother took us out to the swamps where he did research (a doctor- Mike was studying tropical medicine). We balanced precariously on a floating plank walkway no wider than a kitchen towel-the disintegrating pier almost flush with the water. Alligators wading nonchalantly as we stopped to douse ourselves in insect repellent, I shit you not, every ten minutes. We drove through ghettos, the worse of which I had ever seen..windows boarded up, the streets nearly empty- it looked uninhabited and most importantly uninhabitable. Told to look forward and avoid prolonged eye contact I sat stiff in my seat and realized that the shelters, welfare checks and food stamps of my childhood were indeed a luxury. The billboards in this part of town simply read “Thou shall not kill”…no ads- just bible verses to instill hope and diffuse the violence that consumed the community..that, hell, at this point was the community. And then there was the Crawfish Festival. On a grassy field surrounding a baptist church-archaic rides for the kids, tables full of baked goods proudly displayed by bossomy grandmas, giant red coolers of canned beer and buckets upon buckets of crawfish. We ate, we watched, we wandered and most of all, we sweat. Our tolerance for heat was not quite up to par with that of the locals so freshly boiled piping hot crawfish lost its appeal pretty early on…probably as soon as we stepped foot out of the car actually. I take one issue with Southern food. To my detriment I fear I will never be a fan of the deep fryer which means I may never be capable of fully appreciating Southern cuisine. What I do appreciate-  spicy gumbo, cornmeal encrusted catfish, sweet tea or a nice dish of fatback collard greens.

This particular recipe is a Southern influenced dish I love. It’s a garlicky melange of shrimp and black eyed peas with the smoky, savory smack of bacon. I tend to go heavy on the garlic, in well, everything but this dish especially benefits from that habit. Go as heavy or as light on the spice as you like. I like a kick of pepper and will occasionally drip hot sauce on top but its just as good when its not cauterizing your tastebuds.  Eat it with sweet potato cornbread or over rice and wash it down with a black and tan.

Peas Ingredients

Shrimp Ingredients

Peas Directions

1. Cook bacon over medium heat in 12 inch skillet until brown- not crisp. Transfer to a plate and tear bacon into small pieces.
2. Cook scallions, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, blackening season, pepper flakes , salt, black pepper in the fat left in the skillet over medium heat. Stir until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and the broth. Simmer for about 5 minutes then transfer peas to a bowl.

Shrimp Directions

1. Heat oil over medium high in the same skillet previously used for the peas. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and garlic to the pan and stir constantly until the shrimp become opaque (the shrimp will not be fully cooked) ,about 3 minutes.
2. Add  the wine and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the black eyed pea mixture as well as the bacon and simmer until heated through. It should be a little juicy. Discard the bay leaves. Plate and finish it off with a squeeze of lemon.