Black-Eyed Peas And Ham Hocks - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 or 3 small ham hocks
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper

Preparation

Cover ham hocks with cold water and cook gently until meat is tender. Remove meat and put aside until cool enough to handle. Discard bones and skin and trim off most of fat.
Do not discard the water in which ham hocks were cooked.
When this water has gotten cold, skim off the fat that has risen to the top.
Now wash the dried peas and remove all the faulty peas.
Put the washed peas into the water in which the ham hocks were cooked and let them soak overnight.
Next day, add ham, chopped onion (optional) and salt. Cover pot and simmer for 1 hour or so until peas are tender.
Add more water and seasonings as needed. While it is not necessary to soak the peas in the water in which the ham hocks were cooked, that water definitely adds to the flavor.