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1
Place the bacon and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook and stir until the bacon is crisp, about 4 minutes.
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2
Add the onion and cook and stir for another 3 minutes, until soft and translucent.
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3
Meanwhile, rinse and drain the peas, discarding any blemished peas or bits of pod.
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4
When the onion is cooked, place the peas in the pan and add the water.
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5
Add the butter, chile pepper, sage, salt, and black pepper and stir to mix.
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6
Bring to a low boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
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7
Cover and cook until the peas are tender, 20 to 25 minutes, skimming the foam as it rises to the top of the cooking liquid.
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8
Remove from the heat, season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired, and serve warm.
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9
When Southerners mention peas, nine times out of ten they are talking about fresh field peas, not the ubiquitous green peas in the frozen food aisle of the grocery store.
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10
The term field pea is a catchall used to refer to hundreds of varieties with names that range from journalistic (black-eyed, pink-eyed, and purple hull), to Southern gothic (Dixie Lees, lady peas, and Old Timers).
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11
Hardy and drought tolerant, they are also perfectly suited to the climate of the South.
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12
Unlike sugar snap and English peas, which can be eaten raw or cooked, pod and all, field peas must be shelled and cooked prior to serving.
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13
Field peas differ subtly in flavor from variety to variety, but they are uniformly delicious, with a robust, nutty flavor and an addictively creamy finish.
