There’s something undeniably comforting about a warm pot of black-eyed peas and ham, simmered to perfection. It’s a dish steeped in tradition, carrying stories of resilience and prosperity from kitchens across the South. And today, in the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen, we’re putting our own spin on this time-honored meal using the Instant Pot.

This isn’t just another recipe—it’s a special creation we crafted for our dear neighbor’s birthday. She loves black-eyed peas, and what better way to celebrate than by bringing together rich, smoky ham, thick-cut bacon, and tender black-eyed peas in a dish that tastes like home?

Using the Instant Pot, we cut hours of cooking time down to just 18 minutes of pressure cooking. (Of course there was some warm-up and natural release time.) But don’t be fooled—every bite is bursting with flavor and tradition, thanks to the careful balance of ingredients. Smoked ham brings depth, bacon adds richness, and a slow natural pressure release ensures the peas are perfectly tender.

But this isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about honoring history. Black-eyed peas have been a Southern staple since the 18th century, praised by Thomas Jefferson and relied upon during the Civil War. From slow-simmered Dutch oven methods to the modern speed of the Instant Pot, this dish carries generations of flavor.

Now, we want YOU to join us in the kitchen. Watch our latest video as we bring this Test Kitchen Project to life, sharing tips, history, and a taste test that proves just how satisfying this dish can be.

Watch the full video and Happy Cooking!!

This dish is high in protein and fiber, making it a satisfying meal. The sodium content can be adjusted by using low-sodium broth or reducing added salt.

Join us in the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen as we prepare a delectable meatless meal. Try out this Tuscan Portobello Stew – it’ is a perfect dish for Lent.

Tuscan Portobello Stew – Recipe Highlights

What sets this recipe apart? Our rigorous testing uncovered many good things. Here’s what we found:

• Tuscan-Inspired: This dish is infused with the rustic flavors of Tuscany; it’s a culinary journey to the Italian countryside.
• Lenten-Friendly: We found it to be a nourishing meatless meal that’s perfect for those days of abstinence during Lent.
• Farmhouse Simplicity: This is a simple, one-pot meal using fresh ingredients, right from our country kitchen.

Why You’ll Love It

Are you going to like this dish? While tastes differ, some things like a warm hearty stew seem to make most people happy. Here’s why we think you’re going to love this dish;

• Healthy and satisfying: Going back for seconds of this dish is not a problem. It’s full of goodness.
• Bursting with rich, earthy flavors: – I just love portobello mushrooms, and this dish gives you that rich flavor you can’t resist.
• Ideal for vegetarians and vegans: This dish will add some excitement and variety to your menu.
• Perfect for cozy family dinners: It’s not necessary to wait for a cold night in winter to have this dish. It would be good on any day of the year.

Check out our video.

In our video, I will guide you through the steps of creating this hearty and flavorful stew. And while you’re watching you’ll have the opportunity to learn about our granddaughter’s recent European travels.

If you’re looking for another Lenten meal idea, check out How to Make Jacques’s Lentil Salad.

We tested this recipe from the Taste of Home. We had never made a stew like this before, but it looked enticing. It's meatless and I can never pass on a dish with portobello mushrooms. So, my staff and I said, "Let's give it a go." - We found this to be be a hearty and nutritious stew perfect for a meatless menu, especially during Lent.

This Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi dish combines the pillowy softness of homemade gnocchi with the rich, savory flavors of mushrooms and garlic. Yes, once again the culinary wizards, Chef Blondie and Sous Chef Fuzzy, embarked on a delicious adventure in their cozy farmhouse kitchen. With a shared love for Italian cuisine and a desire to perfect their homemade gnocchi, they set out to create a dish combining the comfort food feel of homemade gnocchi with the richness of fresh cream and savory mushrooms.

This is what we did with our homemade gnocchi

Hi! Chef Blondie here. This is the follow-up to our post How to Make Gnocchi and our YouTube video here. In this post we pick up right where the newly made gnocchi is boiled and drained.

It’s a Generic Cream Mushroom Gnocchi Recipe, but…

This was a little bit of impromptu cooking. After we made our fresh gnocchi, we wanted to show what we could do with it. So, we came up with a very quick recipe called Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi. It’s a generic recipe that’s quick and simple to make. It may be generic, but it’s uncommonly good. We think you will find it quite tasty and like it just as much as we do. – Make sure you watch the video to see the step-by-step process.

A Couple of Words about Ingredients

The ingredients for this creamy mushroom gnocchi provide an incredibly wonderful flavor yet they’re readily available and quite simple in nature. For making our gnocchi dish we used:

• Homemade Gnocchi: One pound of fresh homemade gnocchi was all we needed. We don’t think store-bought gnocchi would be as well suited for this dish
• Butter: We used two tablespoons of butter. The mushrooms soaked up so much of the butter, we needed to add a bit of EVOO to keep the ingredients moist.
• Garlic: One clove of garlic minced well went into this dish. Add more if you like.
• Mushrooms: This recipe calls for one cup of sliced mushrooms. We used button mushrooms but cremini mushrooms would work just as well.
• Heavy Cream: A half cup of heavy cream works perfectly.
• Seasoning: We used salt and pepper to taste. There’s room to be more creative here.
• Garnish: We didn’t have any fresh parsley, but that would be great for a garnish. We had to use some dried parsley instead.

This Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi dish combines the pillowy softness of homemade gnocchi with the rich, savory flavors of mushrooms and garlic. The gnocchi is first boiled, then sautéed to create a golden exterior. Sliced mushrooms are cooked until tender, and the entire dish is brought together with a luxurious heavy cream sauce. Seasoned with salt and pepper and garnished with fresh parsley, this dish is both hearty and indulgent, perfect for a cozy meal. - Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

Gnocchi Triumph in the Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen 🍽️👨‍🍳 When the culinary mastermind, Executive Chef Blondie, fell ill, Sous Chef Fuzzy stepped up to the challenge with Chef Blondie’s expert guidance. Together, they transformed a potential kitchen disaster into a gnocchi masterpiece!

Hi! Chef Blondie here. Well, I’ve been under the weather for quite some time. The medics can’t tell me what I have, but it’s really slowed me down. So instead of testing this recipe for fresh gnocchi myself, I had to instruct my Sous Chef, Fuzzy, how to do the test. Although, we’ve never done this before, Fuzzy, with my expert guidance, met the challenge and achieved a great success.

Why make homemade gnocchi?

Hey, I have a question for you. Why would you want to make your own homemade gnocchi? Or, why would it be preferable to store-bought gnocchi?

• Freshness: Well, first of all, it’s the freshness. Homemade gnocchi is far fresher than any store-bought. That’s because the store-bought has been on the shelf for who knows how long.
• Texture: Store-bought gnocchi always tastes kind of rubbery to me. It’s the texture. The fresh gnocchi has such a delicate and pleasant texture.
• Flavor: Homemade gnocchi can have a richer, more enhanced flavor.
• Healthier: Homemade gnocchi is healthier for you because you can eliminate any of the preservatives or anything that’s in it. You have control over salt and everything else.
• Customizable: You can customize homemade gnocchi. You can adjust the recipe to fit your dietary needs or preferences.

Talking Taters

I’m going to tell you one more thing here. If you look at these two little salt and pepper shakers, my daughter-in-law bought these for me when they were on their honeymoon many years ago in Prince Edward Island. I thought, why not use these today. Anyway, my friends, we’re going to get started with making this gnocchi. And happy cooking!

Ingredients for Homemade Gnocchi

Sous Chef Fuzzy here. Here’s a few words about the ingredients. We used three medium russet potatoes. We were shooting for 2 lbs, and as it turned out, the three spuds came in at almost exactly 2 lbs. You’re going to use 1 to 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, depending on how well the ingredients are mixing together. One large egg is used and then you can use one teaspoon of kosher salt. Instead of kosher salt, we used Redmond Real Salt. – Now back to Chef Blondie

Video Step-by-Step Instructions

Watch me and Sous Chef Fuzzy navigate this delicious culinary journey, turning fresh ingredients into perfectly fluffy, mouthwatering gnocchi. Don’t miss out on the secret tips and techniques that made this dish a success!

Resources

There are many dishes that we’ve made that rely on gnocchi to add that special touch. For example our post And the morel of this story is … showed how gnocchi was the perfect ingredient to compliment the delicate flavor of morel mushrooms. If you want to see another approach to making gnocchi, check out this recipe: Gnocchi

We've used store-bought to make many different recipes. For example, our post And the morel of this story is ... shows how gnocchi was the perfect ingredient to go along with some morel mushrooms we received as a surprise gift. We here at the Serendipity Farmhouse Kitchen decided that is time that we learned how to make our own gnocchi from scratch. So,we reviewed several recipes, found the common ingredients and preparation techniques, and developed this generic recipe for testing.