I cook vegetarian meals at Light on the Hill, but at home I cook with meat when I know that the local farm that raised the animals has ethical practices, or that the animal has lived it’s life in the wild.

I signed up with the Piggery, in Trumansburg, NY, to get a CSA share for 12 weeks over the winter. Every week we got different hand crafted pork products. From the most unbelievably flavorful bacon, piggeroni salami, sausages, to roasts; all with out nitrates, growth hormones, or factory farm horrors. I had never cooked ham hocks before, but this was my solution and it was a success!

This slow-cooked meal-in-a-pot stew will make your whole house smell fantastic! It will require a couple hours from start to finish, but most of the time you will be free to do other things. A perfect way to spend a snowy day!

Cabbage and Black-eyed Peas & Ham Hocks

 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small green cabbage

½ cup minced parsley

1 large or 2 small onions coarsely chopped

1 clove minced garlic

2 quarts water or broth

4-5 medium red skinned potatoes

1 ham hock

1 ½ cups black-eyed peas

3 bay leaves

½ tsp dry thyme

1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

few pinches real salt

 

Soak 1 ½ cups dried black-eyed peas overnight or bring to a boil and allow to sit for an hour.

 

Brown the ham hock in a cast iron dutch oven or large stainless steal pot on the stove top with olive oil. Throw in onions and stir. When ham hock is browned add water, peas and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmering for 1½- 2hrs. Then add potatoes, cabbage, garlic, and pepper. When potatoes are nearly tender add thyme, parsley, and salt.

Serve w/ crusty peasant bread and a good local butter.