The Betty Black Blog

The weather’s getting cooler, pear (avocado) is in season; what better time to make a huge pot of Stew Peas. It’s just my husband and I now, but I still make this quantity, divide it in three and freeze two portions.

Now here’s the thing: Stew Peas is not made with peas of any kind but rather with red kidney beans. In Jamaica when we refer to peas, we mean red kidney beans and nothing else. So, let’s make a pot of Stewed Kidney Beans. Not quite the same, is it?

Stew Peas
(Make this quantity & freeze remainder)

2 pks (1½ lb) red kidney beans
2lb stewing beef (shin is ideal)
1lb pickled salted pigs’ tails, salt pork or beef or combination
4-6 stalks scallions
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp allspice berries or ½ tsp ground allspice
1 whole unbroken green Scotch Bonnet pepper or chopped ripe pepper to taste
2 cups or 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 recipe spinner dumplings
1-2 lb yam, cut in wedges
4 or more peeled whole medium onions

Soak or scald the pickled meat to remove some of the salt.
Wash beans & soak for a few hours to soften slightly.

Put all ingredients except whole pepper, coconut milk, dumplings, yam & whole onions in 6 qt pressure cooker, cover with water & cook until peas are tender. Check after 20 minutes & add more water if necessary.

Remove about 2 cups of the beans & put through blender or mash with a wooden spoon & return to pot along with remaining ingredients. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Stew should be very thick.

Cook for 10-15 minutes more until onions are tender. Monitor carefully as it burns very easily.

Serve with plain rice, fried plantains and avocado salad. Serves 6-8.

*Note:
Yam is not sweet potato. Yam is dioscoreaceae dioscorea, sweet potato is ipomoea batatas. There are many varieties of yam, some with a soft texture like potatoes and some much harder. It is not uncommon to find yam tubers up to 20lb in weight. Yellow yam, one of the firmer varieties, is my preferred type.

Read more about Jamaica at Jamaica-Allspice.com