Black Eye Peas Casserole

 One of my favorite one pot dishes. From Cook's Library Baking

2 cups black-eye peas, soaked overnight
1 TBSP olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 TBSP honey
2 TBSP molasses
4 TBSP soy sauce (I use Bragg's liquid aminos)
1 tsp mustard (I prefer Dijon)
4 TBSP tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 fresh rosemary sprig, thyme sprig, and sage sprig (I never have these, and it still tastes great)
1 small orange
1 TBSP cornstarch
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley, to garnish (again, sometimes I don't have this, and it's still great)

1. Rinse the peas and place in a pan. Cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat, and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a casserole dish.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the honey, molasses, soy sauce, mustard, and tomato paste. Pour in the bouillon, bring to a boil, and pour over the peas.

3. Tie the bay leaf and herbs together with a piece of string and add to the casserole. Using a vegetable peeler, pare off 3 pieces of orange peel and mix into the peas, along with plenty of pepper. Cover and cook in a preheated oven, 300 degrees, for 1 hour.

4. Extract the juice from the orange and blend with the cornstarch to form a smooth paste. Remove the casserole from the oven and stir the cornstarch paste into the peas along with the red bell peppers. Cover, return to the oven, and cook for another hour, until the sauce is rich and thick and the peas are tender. Discard the herbs and orange peel.

5. Garnish with the parsley and serve with crusty bread.