Down-Home Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry black-eyed peas
• 12 cups water
• 3 pounds smoked ham hocks
• 1.25 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 0.13 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 package frozen sliced okra , 10 ounce

Instructions

1. 1

   Pick over peas, rinse, and place in a large Dutch oven or soup pot with water; bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.

2. 2

   Stir in ham hocks, onion, celery, salt, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf; bring to a boil, cover the pot, and simmer until ham hocks are tender, about 1 ½ hours.

3. 3

   Stir in okra and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.