Try this black-eyed pea recipe because 'we need all the luck we can get' (2024)

Every year about this time, Vince Hayward, CEO and fourth-generation owner of L.H. Hayward & Co., gives out bags of red beans and green split peas. The 95-year-old Louisiana company, based just outside New Orleans in Harahan, is best known for its Camellia Brand beans.

“We’re selling black-eyed peas right now,” Hayward said. “This year, people don’t want to miss their black-eyed peas. We need all the luck we can get.” He laughed.

This time of year is always busy. But 2020 was not a typical year for the bean business. It was a banner year, as shelf-friendly, inexpensive and protein-rich beans were among early pandemic pantry darlings.

“For a long time, we struggled to keep up with demand,” Hayward said. “Beans had a big boost in popularity, a lot of resurgence of home cooking, a lot of staple things.”

As restaurant demand evaporated, the company pivoted by reassigning employees from one facility to another. A second shift was added. Now, Hayward said, the company has caught up “by the skin of our teeth. We’re officially at capacity."

“Right now, we’re working six days a week, but only one shift,” he said. “One of the challenges we had last year was a weak harvest coupled with great demand. This year, the harvest has been really good. We have elevated demand, and we also have lots of supply.”

Of the 19 types of U.S.-grown beans, lentils and peas the company packages, red kidney beans are by far the most popular. Hayward can document regional preferences in Louisiana, too.

“In New Orleans, it’s all about the red beans, the hometown dish,” Hayward said. “The moment you cross the Mississippi River, it starts to get to be more about white beans. In Acadiana, of course they eat red beans, but oftentimes the predominant dish is white beans. That goes all the way to Lake Charles.

“In the northern part of the state, it’s about field peas and lima beans. Black-eyed peas, field peas, crowder peas. It’s more of a rural sort of culture.… We sell lots of red beans all over, but you can see preferences and taste changes, for sure.”

Could the resurgence of beans and home cooking be a permanent change caused by the pandemic?

“The industry is hearing across the board that people are eating more beans than ever,” Hayward said, adding that demand is expected to be strong for the foreseeable future.

“Plant-based proteins are on the rise,” he said. “Even if people aren’t completely vegetarian, there’s a definite movement to have more plant-centric foods in the diet. The majority of people are operating with that consciousness. At the very least, beans provide a good solution for that, especially if you’re from Louisiana.

“We were plant-based before it was cool.”

Slow Cooker Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

This is one of the best dishes of black-eyed peas I’ve ever made. I didn’t have a jalapeno, and I cut down a bit on the cayenne.

Makes 10 servings. Recipe adapted from camelliabrand.com.

1-pound package black-eyed peas

6 cups water

1 cube chicken bouillon (or 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon)

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

8 ounces diced ham

4 slices cooked bacon, chopped

½ teaspoon cayenne

1½ teaspoons cumin

Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Rinse and sort peas. Pour water into a slow cooker; add bouillon (cube or paste) and stir to dissolve.

2. Add peas, onion, celery, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno, ham, bacon, cayenne and cumin. Stir to combine.

3. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or until peas are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mosquito Supper Club White Beans

Makes 6-8 servings. Recipe from“Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou” by Melissa M. Martin, which was named a Best New Cookbook of Spring by Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, NPR’s The Splendid Table, Eater, Epicurious and more.

2 tablespoons canola oil

½ pound salt pork, diced small

1 large onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 bay leaf

1-pound package navy beans

3½ quarts water

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

⅛teaspoon cayenne

Cooked rice

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

2 tablespoons minced green onion, for garnish

1. Warm a heavy-bottomed 12-quart pot over medium heat 2 minutes, then add oil and heat 30 seconds. Add salt pork and cook, turning as needed, to brown all sides, about 12 minutes.

2. Add onion, celery and bay leaf. Stir.

3. Add beans and water; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until most of the water has boiled off or been absorbed and the beans are tender, 50-60 minutes. (As beans cool, they will absorb more liquid, so having some liquid left over is fine if you don’t want dry beans.)

4. Mash some of the beans against the interior of the pot and stir them into the liquid. Season with salt, black pepper and cayenne.

5. Serve beans over rice, garnished with parsley and green onion.

Best Lentil Soup

Vince Hayward says lentils are particularly good at absorbing other flavors, and recommended cooking them with just a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and water.

Makes 6 to 8 servings. Recipeadapted from thekitchn.com.

2 cups dried lentils (any color)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½teaspoon kosher salt

15-ounce can tomato sauce

6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

5 cups baby spinach (about 5 ounces)

1. Place lentils in a fine-mesh strainer; pick through them, discarding any broken or discolored ones. Rinse under cool water until water runs clear, about 1 minute. Drain.

2. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots and onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, thyme and salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add lentils, tomato sauce and broth. Stir. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 18 to 22 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and stir in spinach until wilted. Serve immediately.