The Jamaican Stewed Peas dish is drawn from many other cultures around the world. Far away from the Caribbean, we can find the Cajuns with their version, red beans and rice. A dish steeped in poverty and born out of necessity, the popular Jamaican delicacy has its class in Jamaican cuisine. There are many variations to the recipe, but the mission is always the same. Feed many people, with a hearty serving of high-fiber beans and bits of meat. Typically served over rice, this dinner represents all the major food groups. Typically, a poor person’s Stewed Peas has mostly beans and a sprinkle of meat, but not today fam. I’m gonna share a recipe that goes the extra mile to make up for all those times when Mama couldn’t afford the meat. Stewed Peas can be made with Amy meat and It can also be made vegan. Traditionally, the dish is mainly flavored with salted pigtails, and from there, you create your masterpiece.
Ingredients
1½ lb salted pigtails
1 lb beef neck bones
1 lb beef stew meat
3 cups dried red kidney beans
Thyme
Scallions
Garlic
Scotch Bonnet peppers
Pimento berries
For spinners, use 1 cup of flour, a pinch of salt, and a little bit of water to make a firm dough. Pinch pieces of the dough off at a time and roll into little fingers like dumplings.
In a heavy Dutch oven, place clean kidney beans covered with water and a tsp of salt to boil on high. Once beans start to boil, turn the stove to a simmer(medium heat) and let beans cook slowly. Check every 30 minutes and add water if needed. When beans start to get tender, time to add the meat. Salted and cured pigtails are very salty so rinse thoroughly, twice, with hot water. Place Pigtails and beef neck bones into a pot with beans and let cook for about an hr, still over medium heat. When the meat starts to break down, it’s time to add the stew meat. The stew meat is added later in the cooking because you still want the meat to be visible and not all mush. Fear not though, it will still be tender. After the stew meat cooks for an hour in the stew, now it’s time to add your seasonings. Add thyme, scallion and garlic. Before you add my dry Jamaican jerk seasoning, taste the sauce. This is how you will measure how much seasoning you need to add so as not to over salt the dish. Drop a Scotch Bonnet in and cover to simmer on low now. Add spinners(dumplings) and those should cook in 20 minutes. No need to add a slurry as the dish will be thick enough. When you are done cooking, turn the stove off and let sit on the stove for about 20 minutes. Remove the pepper, serve, and enjoy.
This dish is versatile, and growing up, this was a staple in my house. Every bit of meat you can think of from the cow’s skin, pigtails, chicken feet, or a mixture Of a few Or many different types of meat. Cooking this dish takes me back home every single time, and it would be an honor if you took this journey with me. #onelove
