The Project: Black eyed peas, corn bread and turnip greens

TURNIP GREENS

3 pounds turnip or collard greens, washed and drained

8 cups chicken broth or stock

1/4 to 1/3 pound fatback (salt pork)

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Hot pepper sauce, optional

Remove thick stems from cleaned greens. Rinse several times in cold water until greens are free of sandy soil. Bring 6 cups broth to boil in large pan. Rinse fatback. Cut in slices or cubes and add to broth. Add greens. Return to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 2 hours.

Remove greens with slotted spoon and chop coarsely. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Add remaining 2 cups broTh to pan, if needed, to make 5 cups. Just before serving, return greens to broth and reheat.

Serve greens with juice (potlikker) in bowl, or reserve likker for another use. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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BLACK-EYED PEAS, TRADITIONAL STYLE

4 cups fresh or frozen black-eyed peas or 2 cups dried

4 (3-inch) pieces fatback (salt pork)

2 hot chiles, optional

Place peas, water to cover, fatback and hot chiles in heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour. Remove chiles. Serve peas with juice, or reserve for another use. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Note: Place dried peas in enough water to cover, bring to boil, turn off heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain and proceed with recipe.

CORN BREAD

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes plus cooling and rising time

Servings: Makes 1 loaf

Note: Adapted from “The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa” by Marcus Samuelsson.

1 small ear of corn, shucked

3/4 cup milk

1 package active dry yeast

1 tablespoon butter

1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped

2 scallions, trimmed and chopped

1 teaspoon chile powder

1 1/2 cups flour, plus more as needed

1 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons honey

1 egg

1. Cut the kernels from the corncob; break the corncob in half and place the cob and kernels in a medium saucepan. Add the milk and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until just warm. Remove and discard the cob and whisk in the yeast. Cover the pan with a lid and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over high heat. Add the butter and swirl until it starts to foam and then subsides, browning just a little. Add the jalapeño, scallions and chile powder and sauté until the pepper and scallions are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, cornmeal and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the corn and milk mixture, honey, egg and scallion mixture. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture, stirring slowly until the mixture is absorbed and the dough comes together.

4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary while kneading. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with a damp cloth or oiled plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place until it’s 1 1/2 times its original size, about 45 minutes.

5. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Punch down the dough and shape it into a loaf. Place the dough in a greased 8 1/2 - by 4 1/2 -inch loaf pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the bread is golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even coloring. Cool for 5 minutes.

6. Turn the loaf out onto a rack and cool for 10 minutes. Cut into one-half-inch slices and serve warm.