Smoked Sausage and Black-Eyed Peas

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is thought to bring prosperity. This one-pot dish is super easy to prepare and so tasty—delicious Southern comfort food! Basically, it's just a matter of throwing everything in the pot and letting it simmer for 1 ½ hours, until the beans are tender. What a great meal on such a cold and lazy New Year's Day!

Source: Smoked Sausage and Black-Eyed Peas, Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
1 pound smoked sausage
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
4 cloves of garlic
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
3 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
8 cups chicken stock
1 pound black-eyed peas
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 cornbread muffins
1 tablespoon chopped green onions

Directions
In a large pot, over medium heat, render the sausage for 5 minutes. Stir in the onions, salt, cayenne, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onions are wilted. Stir in the chicken stock, peas and garlic. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and cook for 1 ½ hours, or until the peas are tender. Spoon the peas and sausage in the center of a shallow bowl. Garnish with green onions. Serve with cornbread muffins.