Georgia Ham and Cowpea Stew

In most rural areas of Georgia, black-eyed peas are still called cowpeas. I can remember this hearty stew one of my great aunts outside Macon once threw together for dinner after we’d spent much of the day picking Elberta peaches in a neighbor’s orchard. I often use fresh or frozen peas in this stew, the single advantage of dried peas being the flavorful liquid in which they must be soaked at least an hour (even overnight), which can be substituted for the fresh water. The traditional way t