Garlicky Pepper Shrimp with Black-Eyed Peas

For Christmas last year, my dear boyfriend gifted me subscriptions to Gourmet and Bon Appetit. Granted, I can find recipes from both magazines at Epicurious, but the inspiration comes less often. In last month’s Gourmet, which I had neglected initially, I found this delicious recipe that helped fulfill one of my many ongoing goals: to eat more beans. Not only are these lovely legumes healthy for you, they’re also inexpensive and keep well in my pantry.

Double-garlic and pepper maddness! Add these key ingredients to both the pea mixture and the shrimp before incorporating together in one fantastic dish.

I had some frozen shrimp in my freezer from when I made potstickers last month, so I hunted down those bad boys before they suffered any further freezer burn and gathered what vegetables I had in the fridge that also turned up in the recipe, and made a relatively quick and appetizing dinner.

The original recipe can be found here, but as usual, I made adjustments to what I had and for my preference of garlicky and spicy.

A medley of vegetables

Ingredients for the peas

* 2 bacon slices
* 2 scallions, chopped
* 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
* 1/2 medium onion, diced
* 1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
* 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/8 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
* 1 (15-ounces) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
* 1  cup chicken broth

Add in the peas and bacon, then add the shrimp and voila, you're done!

For shrimp:

* 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup dry white wine

Preparation

Make black-eyed peas:

1. Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate, then tear into small pieces.
2. Cook scallions, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in fat in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add black-eyed peas and broth and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Make shrimp:

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
2. Cook shrimp with garlic, stirring occasionally, until just opaque (shrimp will not be fully cooked), about 3 minutes.
3. Add wine and bring to a boil, then briskly simmer 2 minutes.
4. Add bacon and black-eyed-pea mixture and simmer until just heated through (mixture will be juicy). Discard bay leaves.

I served this with whole wheat couscous, but I imagine it would go well with white rice, warm, crusty bread, or served by itself.

Tags: beans, black-eyed peas, garlic, shrimp