As an immigrant, I find the idea of American cuisine puzzling because there are so many different foods, like burgers or California cuisine, that people use to define American cooking.

One style of American cooking I always heard about growing up in Europe is soul food. After 15 years in the US, I've learned from meeting so many cooks and foodies in the African-American community that while there is such a thing as soul music, there is no such thing as true soul food. There is Southern cooking and Creole cooking, which are often misrepresented as soul food, but they are actually two very distinct styles of their own.
What people tend to refer to when they talk about soul food are dishes and ingredients that were influenced by Africa or brought to this country by African slaves -- things like black-eyed peas, peanuts, chitterlings, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and okra. Even the notion of barbecue, the ultimate American food, has its roots in the cooking of West Africa.

As we celebrate Black History Month, I urge you to add some of these foods into your cooking. Just as you don't have to be Swedish to enjoy Swedish meatballs, you don't need to be of African descent to enjoy a soulful dish inspired by the African continent -- like this hearty dish of black-eyed peas inspired by a recipe from Ghana that my friend Keke's mother once served. It's a great side dish to grilled meat or fish.

Black-Eyed Peas

4 to 6 servings (makes 6 cups)

1 cup black eyed peas, soaked for 8 hours
1/4 cup butter
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chile, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
2 cilantro sprigs
1 scallion, sliced

1. Rinse and drain the peas. Combine the peas with 4 cups of water in a large pot and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes until the peas are tender. Strain and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions, tomatoes, and chilies and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, and coconut milk and bring to a simmer, then stir in the turmeric and chicken stock and simmer uncovered over low heat until liquid thickens, about 20 minutes. Add the peas and salt and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.  

3. Before serving, stir in the cilantro and scallion.

Copyright © Marcus Samuelsson
Recipe reprinted from The Soul of a New Cuisine with permission of John Wiley and Sons, Inc.