Any good ol' country boy knows, black eyed peas are a staple here in the South. If you don't like black eyed peas, you ain't really Southern! Just had a good plate full of them tonight, and thought I'd share the way my wife cooks them. She just drops them in a pressure cooker, with a tablespoon of olive oil and a cube of chicken bullion. Then she cooks them about 15 min. under pressure, and ... serve. I like to dice fresh raw onion finely, and mix it in with mine. Sometimes, just for variety and sake of experiment, I'll douse them with some pepper vinegar, or LA hot sauce. You just can't make them taste bad, at least that I've found.
Probably my utmost favorite peas are the little pink eyes. All peas and beans have a rather delicate flavor, and each one has its own little character in taste. I have yet to find a bean or pea I don't like. I guess us country boys are born hungry, and learn early to appreciate most anything that's spiced right, and lightly.
Peas and beans always leave me with that "basking afterglow" after a meal that bespeaks real satisfaction, and is a simple and powerful pleasure. Y'all had any beans or peas lately? What kind of variations or special handling do you give yours? I've tried them every way I could think of, and need help with more ideas, just for drill, if nothing else.