Recipe: "Pigeon Peas Stew"
Sep. 30th, 2025 09:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
creative_cooksWe made this tonight. It's quite tasty. :D We have plenty of pigeon peas left, so I can try other recipes too.
"Pigeon Peas Stew"
Ingredients:
1 cup pigeon peas
water
1/2 sweet onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small butternut squash, chopped (about 2 cups)
6 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 Maggi cube
1 thumb ginger root, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon cilantro flakes
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspooon basil
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 heirloom tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Directions:
At least 2 hours beforehand (or overnight) measure 1 cup of pigeon peas. Rinse them, place them in a bowl, and cover them with water. They plump up quickly.
Chop 1/2 sweet onion (about 1/2 cup) and set it aside. Chop 1 red bell pepper (about 1 cup) and set it aside. Peel and chop 1 small butternut squash (about 2 cups) and set it aside. Chop 6 strips thick-cut bacon (about 1 cup) and set it aside.
Into a small crockpot, pour enough water cover the bottom about 1/2 inch deep. Add 1 Maggi cube.
Drain the pigeon peas and put them in the crockpot. Add the bits of sweet onion, red bell pepper, butternut squash, and bacon.
Mince 1 thumb ginger root (about 1 tablespoon) and 1 large clove garlic (about 2 teaspoons). Add both to the crockpot. Turn the crockpot on High and cook for about 2 hours.
Stir the stew. Add 1 tablespoon cilantro flakes, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspooon basil, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 bay leaf. Stir again, put the lid back on, then continue cooking for another hour.
Stir and taste the stew. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Chop 1 heirloom tomato (about 1/2 cup) and stir the bits into the stew. Cook for another hour.
Test for doneness. Everything should be tender. If not, cook it longer.
Notes:
This stew has a warm flavor without being too sweet, perfect as a cozy dish for fall or winter. It is flexible and can be made with variations. We quite enjoyed it.
Pigeon peas are a type of legume that tolerates drought and other harsh conditions. They have an earthy flavor and may be used as pods, fresh peas, canned, frozen, or dried. They appear in the cuisines of India, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Interestingly, they tenderize quickly when soaked in water and can be squished with finger, but then they still take a long time to get fully soft when cooked. If you can't find these, black-eyed peas will do.
Sweet onions are milder than hot onions. If you want a spicy stew, you could use a hot onion instead.
Bell peppers are mild with little heat. Red looks pretty but you could also use another color. If you want more heat, consider adding a scotch bonnet pepper.
Butternut squash is a winter squash with yellow to bright orange flesh inside, which is savory to slightly sweet. Usually they are pretty big but I found a tiny one. Often you can find pre-cubed butternut squash in stores, convenient as they are hard to peel. Most types of savory winter squash or pumpkin should work in this recipe.
Bacon provides salt and flavor. I used plain, but something like applewood smoked or pepper coated should also work. To make this recipe vegetarian / vegan, omit the bacon or replace it with another smoky ingredient such as a chipotle pepper, "sea bacon," or smoked black pepper.
Maggi is a type of bullion seasoning popular in Africa and other areas.
Ginger root has many benefits and provides the heat in this recipe.
Garlic is a funkener that keeps sweet things from tasting insipid.
Cilantro is a dark leafy green herb used extensively in Hispanic cuisines. Use fresh or dried.
Allspice is a warming spice used widely in Caribbean cuisines. While it's not overwhelming, it has a very influential taste in this stew.
Heirloom tomatoes tend to have richer flavor than commercial ones. Look for something in the purple to chocolate range for a dark flavor that will complement this recipe. Use a plain beefsteak if that's all you can get.
"Pigeon Peas Stew"
Ingredients:
1 cup pigeon peas
water
1/2 sweet onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small butternut squash, chopped (about 2 cups)
6 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 Maggi cube
1 thumb ginger root, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon cilantro flakes
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspooon basil
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 heirloom tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Directions:
At least 2 hours beforehand (or overnight) measure 1 cup of pigeon peas. Rinse them, place them in a bowl, and cover them with water. They plump up quickly.
Chop 1/2 sweet onion (about 1/2 cup) and set it aside. Chop 1 red bell pepper (about 1 cup) and set it aside. Peel and chop 1 small butternut squash (about 2 cups) and set it aside. Chop 6 strips thick-cut bacon (about 1 cup) and set it aside.
Into a small crockpot, pour enough water cover the bottom about 1/2 inch deep. Add 1 Maggi cube.
Drain the pigeon peas and put them in the crockpot. Add the bits of sweet onion, red bell pepper, butternut squash, and bacon.
Mince 1 thumb ginger root (about 1 tablespoon) and 1 large clove garlic (about 2 teaspoons). Add both to the crockpot. Turn the crockpot on High and cook for about 2 hours.
Stir the stew. Add 1 tablespoon cilantro flakes, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspooon basil, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 bay leaf. Stir again, put the lid back on, then continue cooking for another hour.
Stir and taste the stew. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Chop 1 heirloom tomato (about 1/2 cup) and stir the bits into the stew. Cook for another hour.
Test for doneness. Everything should be tender. If not, cook it longer.
Notes:
This stew has a warm flavor without being too sweet, perfect as a cozy dish for fall or winter. It is flexible and can be made with variations. We quite enjoyed it.
Pigeon peas are a type of legume that tolerates drought and other harsh conditions. They have an earthy flavor and may be used as pods, fresh peas, canned, frozen, or dried. They appear in the cuisines of India, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Interestingly, they tenderize quickly when soaked in water and can be squished with finger, but then they still take a long time to get fully soft when cooked. If you can't find these, black-eyed peas will do.
Sweet onions are milder than hot onions. If you want a spicy stew, you could use a hot onion instead.
Bell peppers are mild with little heat. Red looks pretty but you could also use another color. If you want more heat, consider adding a scotch bonnet pepper.
Butternut squash is a winter squash with yellow to bright orange flesh inside, which is savory to slightly sweet. Usually they are pretty big but I found a tiny one. Often you can find pre-cubed butternut squash in stores, convenient as they are hard to peel. Most types of savory winter squash or pumpkin should work in this recipe.
Bacon provides salt and flavor. I used plain, but something like applewood smoked or pepper coated should also work. To make this recipe vegetarian / vegan, omit the bacon or replace it with another smoky ingredient such as a chipotle pepper, "sea bacon," or smoked black pepper.
Maggi is a type of bullion seasoning popular in Africa and other areas.
Ginger root has many benefits and provides the heat in this recipe.
Garlic is a funkener that keeps sweet things from tasting insipid.
Cilantro is a dark leafy green herb used extensively in Hispanic cuisines. Use fresh or dried.
Allspice is a warming spice used widely in Caribbean cuisines. While it's not overwhelming, it has a very influential taste in this stew.
Heirloom tomatoes tend to have richer flavor than commercial ones. Look for something in the purple to chocolate range for a dark flavor that will complement this recipe. Use a plain beefsteak if that's all you can get.
