Let’s explore four distinctive southern pea varieties that deserve a place in your pantry and on your table.

Lady Cream Peas: The Delicate Jewel

Lady Cream peas stand out for their delicate appearance and elegant flavor. These small, pale legumes cook to a creamy consistency while yielding a clear pot liquor, prized in southern households for their subtle sweetness and refined texture. The key to perfect Lady Cream peas lies in gentle simmering and careful seasoning – they absorb flavor beautifully without requiring heavy spicing.

Lil’ Auntie’s Lady Cream Peas

This treasured family recipe enhances the peas’ natural creaminess with seasoning meat (or butter), aromatics, and herbs. After gentle simmering, they develop a tender texture perfect alongside cornbread or as a base for grilled fish.

Crowder Peas: Bold and Beautiful

Named for the way they crowd themselves within their pods, Crowder peas deliver robust flavor and hearty texture that stands up to bold seasonings. These hardy peas thrive in the southern climate, creating a deep, dark broth when cooked. Crowder peas offer a perfect foundation for building complex flavors with smoky pork, onions, garlic, and herbs.

Clayton’s Crowder Peas

This family recipe honors the peas’ natural earthiness with classic southern cooking methods – simmering with seasoning meat before adding sautéed aromatics and herbs, resulting in a rich pot liquor perfect for sopping up with bread or serving over rice.

Field Peas: The Soul Food Staple

Field peas are similar in flavor and texture to blackeye peas but with their own distinctive character. Part of the cowpea family brought to America from Africa, these adaptable, heat-tolerant legumes have become a cornerstone of soul food cooking. When prepared traditionally with smoked pork, sautéed aromatics, and herbs, they develop a flavorful pot liquor that carries their unique earthy essence.

Patricia’s Perfect Field Peas

This heritage recipe showcases the peas’ distinctive flavor, while the Field Peas & Snap Beans variation adds fresh green beans, salt pork, and dried red chili pepper for color, texture, and a gentle heat that complements their natural earthiness.

Blackeye Peas: The Good Luck Charm

Perhaps the most widely recognized of all southern peas, blackeye peas have earned their place as both a cultural icon and a culinary staple. No southern pea holds more cultural significance than the blackeye pea on New Year’s Day. Served with greens and pork in Hoppin’ John, they’re believed to bring prosperity, with the peas symbolizing coins and the greens representing paper money.

Bessie’s Best New Year Blackeyes

This cherished recipe enhances the peas with seasoning meat, aromatics, and a touch of herbs like thyme and sage. For a classic Hoppin’ John, simply add rice, tomatoes, and green onions – served alongside collard greens for both flavor and fortune.

The Southern Pea Heritage

From humble beginnings, southern peas have evolved into beloved ingredients that carry cultural significance and family memories. Each variety offers its own personality and cooking properties, but all share the adaptability, nutritional benefits, and rich history that make southern peas truly special.

As you experiment with these recipes, you become part of the continuing story of southern cuisine—a tradition of transforming simple ingredients into soul-satisfying meals that bring people together.

You may have wondered what the difference is between creamy favorites commonly called lima beans, and the velvety staple referred to as butter beans. And you wouldn’t be the first.

Lima Beans vs. Butter Beans

Well, rest assured; the two are actually one in the same. There’s no difference between lima beans and butter beans, though sometimes they’re sold at different stages of maturity. As a matter of fact, our Large Lima Beans packaging actually states Butter Beans in parentheses, just to clarify. The younger green-hued beans are often called Green Baby Limas and are more tender than their larger counterparts. Despite that, all varieties come from the same plant. Interestingly, whether you prefer to call them lima beans or butter beans is a result of your own geographical traditions and how your family and friends refer to them.

A Southern Staple

Regardless, these tasty beauties have been a Southern staple for generations. Often cooked with ham or bacon and served over rice, they’re high in fiber and trace minerals, super hearty, and offer a deliciously creamy, velvety, and well, buttery flavor. If prepared right, they offer a lush creamy goodness encased and embraced by a firmer, shape-holding skin.

We pronounce “lima” beans like this: “lime” with an “a” on the end. However, these New World native beans originally came from Lima (pronounced “LEEma”), the capital city of Peru. These luscious legumes have made themselves at home all over the Americas, and especially so in the South.

How to Cook Lima Beans, aka Butter Beans

Whatever you insist on calling them, what’s important is how you cook and enjoy them! Here are some of our favorite recipes for lima beans, “aka” butter beans.

Instant Pot Southern Large Limas with Ham Hocks

Mushroom & Butter Bean Ragù with Cheesy Grits

Simple Southern Lima Beans

Butter Beans with Pickled Pork or Smoked Ham Hocks

Vegetarian Lima Beans with Mushrooms

Lamb Shanks with Garlic & Butter Beans

The post The Difference Between Lima Beans and Butter Beans first appeared on Camellia Brand.]]> https://www.camelliabrand.com/the-difference-between-lima-beans-and-butter-beans/feed/ 0 https://www.camelliabrand.com/pickled-pig-tips-red-beans-and-rollingwithmelia/ https://www.camelliabrand.com/pickled-pig-tips-red-beans-and-rollingwithmelia/#respond Mon, 23 Jan 2023 19:10:16 +0000 https://www.camelliabrand.com/?p=44509 Sharing tips and tricks for her favorite New Orleans dishes from her custom pink wheelchair, Amelia Labeaud is a fun-loving read more ...

Sharing tips and tricks for her favorite New Orleans dishes from her custom pink wheelchair, Amelia Labeaud is a fun-loving New Orleans native raised in the 7th ward who has always had a passion for her city’s food and culture.

Not long ago, her viral video for red beans and rice — made with pickled pig tips and Camellia Brand Red Bean Flavor Infusion — got people talking. “What are pickled pig tips and where do you get them?” commenters asked.

Pickled Tips

Popular in the South and especially among Louisiana cooks, pig tips are the meaty chunks from the underside of spare ribs that contain cartilage but no bone. When a rack is trimmed to make ribs, the boneless strip of meaty rib ends (or tips) remains. A form of pickled pork, pickled tips are inexpensive and used as a flavoring agent in many iconic Southern dishes such as red, white and lima beans, including all manner of stewed vegetables. And you can buy them packaged at many grocery stores and butcher shops.

Amelia, (who goes by ‘Melia’) loves using pickled tips and cooking them low and slow in dishes from red beans to cabbage to greens. “I think they give a really good, buttery, salty taste. It gives the food really good flavor,” she says. Check out her recipe for Red Beans with Pickled Pig Tips.

An Adventure on TikTok

Melia’s adventure on TikTok started a few years back, when her daughter pleaded, “Mom, let’s get on this TikTok trend called ‘things New Orleans people see’.” So for kicks, they created a New Orleans-themed video, and the next day, her daughter exclaimed, “Mom, it’s gone viral!”

“You know, kids get excited about every little thing, so I kind of brushed it off,” says Melia. But when she looked at how many people had reacted to her video, she was amazed. As she experimented with posts to see what grabbed folks’ attention, she noticed that fans were gravitating to her New Orleans-style cooking videos.

How a Giveaway Turned Into a Business

Melia continued to create cooking videos, and in hopes of reaching a few hundred thousand followers, she offered a giveaway — a box full of iconic New Orleans snacks that she grew up enjoying, filled with products like Mama Noodles, Big Shot Cold Drinks, Elmer’s CheeWees, and Zapp’s Chips.

Fans were clamoring for the goods, which is how her giveaway turned into a flourishing business called The Original New Orleans Snack Box. She now sells New Orleans snack boxes and homemade spicy bowls to fans far and wide.

And when she’s not hustling, selling, and shipping, she’s cooking and eating. Want to see what she’s up to? You can follow Melia on all of her social media platforms @RollingWithMelia — on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Bigo.

The post Pickled Pig Tips, Red Beans, and RollingWithMelia first appeared on Camellia Brand.]]>

Mosquito Supper Club Shrimp Jambalaya, courtesy of Chef Melissa Martin. Recipe can be found in her cookbook, Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes From a Disappearing Bayou. Copyright © 2020. Photograph by Denny Culbert.

There are certain types of cookware that inspire an almost religious devotion among people for whom the kitchen is a sacred space. There are the believers in the magic of copper pots and pans. There are those who swear up and down by ceramic cooking vessels. There are the collectors of cast-iron cookware. And then there are perhaps the most devoted of all: the disciples of Magnalite® professional cookware.

The Magnalite History

Magnalite fandom has been an American tradition for more than 85 years. The Wagner Manufacturing Company of Sidney, Ohio, poured the first cast for WagnerWare Magnalite (Magnalite, for short) in 1934. Made of a unique, durable aluminum and magnesium alloy, these shiny silver kitchen tools have a denser base and thinner sides than most of their cookware counterparts. This allows the pots and pans to first heat more evenly, then distribute that heat faster during the cooking process. (“A cast as thick as two silver dollars!” claims an original Magnalite instruction manual.)

Magnalite lids also sport a vapor-tight seal, ensuring that the utmost amount of moisture is retained. Plus, Magnalite cookware can go from stovetop to oven – and refrigerator to stovetop – without missing a beat. Perhaps the most iconic of all the Magnalite pieces is the oval-shaped roaster. A pot that resembles a very stout rocket ship or chunky UFO is the preferred gumbo-making vessel for many a grand-mère (that’s grandma, Cajun style) across South Louisiana.

A Beloved Connection to South Louisiana

Home cooks across the South – and in particular, Louisiana’s Cajun country – have a soft spot for Magnalite. Sets of the cookware are treasured family heirlooms passed down through generations. Chatty praise of Magnalite can be found everywhere in the South Louisiana online orbit. From local Facebook trading groups in Lafayette to Louisiana State University football message boards. One poster recently gushed, “What a great cooking utensil! By far the best overall pots ever!”

In an interview with Serious Eats about the “everyday sacred” ritual of making gumbo, Cajun cook and photographer Pableaux Johnson describes the comforting scene in his kitchen – one that is typical across Louisiana – featuring Pableaux’s own Turkey Bone Gumbo recipe simmering on the stove in “the oversize Magnalite roaster that’s gingerly straddling two pulsing blue gas jets.”

Photo by Chris Granger. Pableaux Johnson of New Orleans makes gumbo for Serious Eats.

Professional chefs in Louisiana swear by the cookware, particularly a line of sturdy, professional-grade Magnalite introduced in the 1970s. Cajun Chef John Folse’s cookbooks and recipes mention it repeatedly by name. A Magnalite pot used by legendary New Orleans chef Leah Chase is now on permanent display at the National Museum of African American Heritage and Culture in Washington, D.C.

And Brenda Placide – the beloved chef-owner of Brenda’s Diner in New Iberia, Louisiana – in an interview with The New Iberian, recalls when actor Tommy Lee Jones asked her to come cook for him in Dallas. “I told him ‘Tommy Lee, I’d need to cook with my Magnalite pot, but I’m not driving and it is too heavy to carry on the plane. They won’t let me on with all my pots.’ He told he was going to send his chauffeur to pick me up.” Now that’s devotion to Magnalite.

A Cajun Heirloom in Uptown New Orleans

This devotion is endearingly evident in the kitchen of New Orleans Chef Melissa Martin, a native of Terrebonne Parish who regularly uses her inherited and beloved Magnalite soup pot. In her cookbook, Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes From a Disappearing Bayou, she explains that she kept this pot sitting on her stove for years. “As a bit of comfort and a beautiful reminder of so many delicious meals” – and, we might add, many more meals to come.

She shares the Cajun culinary traditions she learned from the women of her family at her restaurant. The Mosquito Supper Club is where she serves up platters of fresh Cajun food family-style to small groups of diners in a repurposed historic home in Uptown New Orleans. She uses her Magnalite pot to make her Monday’s Red Beans and Mosquito Supper Club White Beans recipes. Both of which can be found in her cookbook.

Chef Melissa’s Magnalite soup pot, inherited from her grandmother. Excerpted from Mosquito Supper Club by Melissa Martin (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2020. Photograph by Denny Culbert.

Cooking Gumbo and Beyond

Although a big gumbo might be the first dish you think of when someone whips out a Magnalite roaster, these kitchen tools can cook just about anything. Pinto beans with ham hock, catfish sauce piquante, shrimp jambalaya and red beans and rice, just to name a few. Magnalite is well known for its ability to both sear meat and help ingredients and flavors naturally mingle. This makes it a natural for dishes like white beans with sausage, smothered pork chops and a big pot of jambalaya. Some would argue that there are few things that a Magnalite vessel can’t do.

How to Clean Magnalite Pots

Like any beloved kitchen tool, Magnalite also has a legendary list of “best practices” to keep the pots in tip-top, shiny shape. One Magnalite owner’s grandmother swore by cleaning the pots first with a healthy rinse of Coca-Cola, then scrubbing with lemons. Another Magnalite fan agrees that the Coke-and-lemon process works, but also to add in an overnight soak in water to keep the cookware looking like new.

An instructional YouTube video for how to properly “season” a Magnalite pot uses tissue paper to spread oil around as a conditioner. Using paper towels can leave small fibers behind. “I love my Magnalite pot, and I can’t wait to get a second,” the YouTube instructor professes. The attention to detail when caring for Magnalite is almost reverent.

Today, new Wagner Magnalite cookware is no longer produced or manufactured in the United States. If you weren’t lucky enough to inherit a set of Magnalite tools, you can join the many Magnalite purists who seek out the original (and, in their minds, better) versions at flea markets, garage sales and trade shows. Etsy and eBay also offer a treasure trove of old-school Magnalite items for sale. Prices ranging somewhere between $60 and $150 depending on the item.

Mcware vs Magnalite

There’s also a Mamou, Louisiana-based company, McWare, which produces cooking vessels that are decidedly similar to Magnalite. Same aluminum build, comparable oval roaster shape, for a similar price point. Are they all worth it? That’s for each individual cook to decide. One thing is for sure: a perfect pot of red beans is priceless.

Raised on her family’s farm in Mississippi and classically trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, Chef Jennifer Hill Booker puts an authentic, interesting twist on even the most humble pot of beans. And the recipes featured here from her cookbook Field Peas to Foie Gras: Southern Recipes with a French Accent are a testament to her skill and ingenuity. Combining what at first glance might seem like two disparate types of cuisine — Southern and French — she has found a way to celebrate their similarities, by incorporating nose-to-tail cooking and using every part of the pig. Featuring such richness-producing cuts as hog jowls, ham bones, salt pork, and ham hocks, these savory recipes don’t let anything go to waste and are loaded with flavor. And with the addition of garlic, onion and dried red chili peppers, they create welcoming meals for family suppers and friendly get-togethers alike.

Butter Beans & Hog Jowls

Chef Booker notes that her delicious Butter Beans & Hog Jowls dish gets its richness from the bacon-like flavor but firmer texture of hog jowl. From the cheek area of the hog, hog jowl can be used fresh, cured or smoked and remains firm during long cook times. As she explains the Southern-French connection, “Beans and greens are a huge staple in Southern cuisine and cooked in much the same way here as they are in French cuisine. Whether the beans you use are fresh, frozen or dried, they are cooked the same way — by adding a liquid, a cured or smoked piece of meat for flavoring, and seasoning.” With Butter Beans & Hog Jowls, the broth becomes thicker the longer you simmer the beans, and the dish is even more heavenly when served with cornbread.

Great Northern Beans & Ham

Great Northern Beans & Ham is another of Booker’s favorites, and its wonderful flavor comes from the use of both a ham bone and diced ham. The marrow hidden inside a ham bone adds amazing richness to the dish and melts into silky goodness when slow-simmered. And the diced ham is a meaty addition that makes the meal hearty and comforting in every way. Serve with melty grilled cheese on sourdough for an irresistible combination.

Pinto Beans & Ham Hocks

Pinto Beans & Ham Hocks is a dish that’s savory and satisfying, and the ham hock imparts marrow-rich flavor that enhances the beans. Chef Booker explains, “The longer you cook your pinto beans, the thicker the sauce or “gravy” will become. I find it best to cook them a day or two before you plan to serve them, and refrigerate until you are ready to reheat and serve. This guarantees a thick, rich pot of beans.” For a little color and freshness, garnish with chopped spring onions, or top with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped red onion and bits of bacon for even smokier flavor.

Field Peas & Snap Beans

Made with salt pork, Field Peas & Snap Beans epitomizes both down home goodness and Booker’s childhood experience. Like bacon, salt pork is made from pork bellies and adds great meaty flavor and luxurious fat — slowly rendering down as the peas cook. As for the addition of snap beans, Chef Booker notes: “It doesn’t matter if you start with fresh, frozen or dried field peas, they always turn a muddy color when they’re cooked. It made me realize that my grandmother always added snap beans (or string beans) to her pot of peas to provide a bright spot of color.” To round out the meal and feed a hungry crowd, try serving alongside a slew of toasted ham and cheese sliders.

For more recipes from Chef Booker, check out Field Peas to Foie Gras: Southern Recipes with a French Accent. You’ll find more savory Southern dishes like Tomato and Okra Gravy, Glazed Turnips with Pearl Onions and Brown Butter, Fresh Pork Sausage, Hickory-Smoked Chicken Croquettes and Venison Stew.