Cast Iron

Spicy Stewed Black Eyed Peas and Baby Limas with Corn Quesadillas

March 22, 2011
4.8
4 Ratings
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

This recipe is inspired Baby Lima Soup with Chipotle Broth from Super Natural Cooking reposted by 101 Cookbooks’ Heidi Swanson. While the original recipe is wonderful as is, I wanted to make a heartier, spicier dish. Plus, I wanted to adapt it for the pressure cooker. Don’t panic, you can still do this on the stove top, see recipe notes. If you are faint of heart, you can eliminate the chipotles and use smoked paprika… - Helen's All Night Diner
Helen's All Night Diner

Test Kitchen Notes

This dish delivers on Helen's All Night Diner's promise: it is hearty and spicy! The beefy broth adds a deep and important backdrop for the heat of the chipotle and zing of the adobo. For the quick soak, I brought the dried beans and plenty of water to a boil, let them sit for about 45 minutes, then drained them. I also released pressure after the 10 minute cooking time for the black-eyed peas. At that point, the limas, peas, and garlic were all well cooked. I loved that the baby limas were soft enough to make the soup a bit creamy but if you want them firmer you'll need to reduce the amount of time in the quick-soak. I also tried a variation with shredded cabbage (cooked for only 10 minutes more) and served it with a squeeze of lime. The stew either way with the easy corn quesadillas makes for a flavorful and satisfying meal. - monkeymom —monkeymom

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Stew
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 pound pearl onions, frozen
  • 1 head of garlic, peeled & separated into cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
  • 1/2 pound black eyed peas, quick soaked & drained
  • 1/2 pound baby lima beans, quick soaked & drained (or dried fava or soy beans)
  • 4 chipotles in adobo about 1/2 a 7 oz can
  • 8 cups beef broth, low sodium
  • 2 cups water
  • For the corn quesedillas
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 12 slices Monterey jack cheese
  • 12 sprigs fresh cilantro
  • salsa - optional
Directions
  1. Coarsely chop the chipotles, set aside along with the sauce. Heat the olive oil and butter in a 6 qt pressure cooker over medium flame. Once the foaming subsides, add the pearl onions and garlic, no need to thaw the onions. Stir occasionally until slightly browned.
  2. Add the beef broth, water, chopped chipotles and the baby limas. Clamp on the lid and raise heat. Bring to high pressure. Once pressure is reached, turn down the flame and maintain pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
  3. Add the black eyed peas, close pressure cooker and bring back to pressure. Cook another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is released, check tenderness of the limas and black eyed peas. If still too firm, simmer gently uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes or until beans are the desired tenderness.
  4. For the quesadillas: Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Assemble the quesadillas by sandwiching a piece of cheese and a sprig of cilantro between 2 corn tortillas. Toast until browned in the dry cast iron skillet turning once.
  5. To serve, squash the garlic cloves with the back of a spoon and stir in. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with the corn quesadillas and salsa – optional.
  6. Notes: To cook on the stove top, change cooking times to 30 minutes each. Or use a crock pot and cook on low for 2 or 3 hours. To make vegetarian, use a strong mushroom broth rather than the beef broth. I wouldn’t use water or a light broth, you need something robust. For a super quick stew, you can also substitute the giant lima beans for the baby ones, in which case, add the black eyed peas and giant limas at the same time and cook under pressure for 10 minutes then release naturally. If you are not a chile head and don’t like spicy food, you can substitute smoked paprika for the chipotles. I would add to taste, starting with a teaspoon and also add in a tablespoon or so of tomato paste.

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1 Review

dani January 3, 2013
Definately delicious. Thanks for the recipe:)