Smoky Collards & Black-Eyed Peas with Cornmeal Dumplings

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A one-skillet Southern supper: collard greens braised soft in a smoky, tangy pot likker with black-eyed peas, then topped with fluffy cornmeal dumplings that steam right on the surface until they're cloud-light underneath and craggy on top. All plant-based, no smoked meat needed — smoked paprika, chipotle and a splash of cider vinegar do the heavy lifting.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chipotle chile powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 lb collard greens, stemmed and cut into 1-inch ribbons (about 2 large bunches)
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cans (15 oz each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives or scallion greens
• 3/4 cup unsweetened oat milk
• 3 tbsp refined coconut oil, melted (or neutral oil)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• hot sauce, for serving
• 2 tbsp sliced scallions

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch cast-iron or other heavy oven-safe skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, until soft and just starting to brown at the edges.
2. Add the sliced garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle powder and thyme. Cook 60 to 90 seconds, stirring constantly, until the spices smell toasty — don't let the garlic scorch.
3. Add the collard ribbons in big handfuls, tossing after each addition and letting them wilt for about a minute before adding more. It will look like far too much greens; it collapses to about a third of the volume.
4. Pour in the vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, maple syrup and soy sauce. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and braise for 25 minutes, stirring twice, until the collards are completely tender and silky.
5. Stir in the black-eyed peas and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes to heat through. Taste and adjust salt. The liquid should come about halfway up the greens — if it's dry, add 1/2 cup water; if soupy, simmer 3 minutes more. Keep it at a lazy simmer.
6. While the greens braise, make the dumplings: whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and chives in a bowl. In a measuring cup, stir together the oat milk, melted coconut oil and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir just until a thick, scoopable batter forms — about 15 seconds. Do not overmix; let it sit 5 minutes to hydrate.
7. Drop the batter onto the simmering greens in 10 heaping-tablespoon mounds, spacing them evenly and setting each one on top of the greens rather than sinking it. Cover tightly, lower the heat so the liquid barely bubbles, and steam for 16 to 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
8. Check a dumpling: a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean and the tops should look dry and set. If not, re-cover and give them 3 more minutes.
9. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon cider vinegar over the greens around the dumplings, scatter with scallions, and let stand 5 minutes off the heat. Serve in shallow bowls, spooning plenty of pot likker over each dumpling, with hot sauce at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem