Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Black Eyed Peas (Bean)

by Cat, June 2008  (photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

See also: 1. Legumes (About) (on my main website); 2. Beans & Other Legumes: Soaking & Sprouting;

Other sites: 1. Emily Skinner Bean Recipes (2); 2. The Vegan Gourmet on dried beans & peas (great reference! (3))

Beans are often added ingredients to salads, but not so frequently the star as in this vegetarian salad from old Europe.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This is a wonderful Greek salad, sometimes made with garbanzos (chick-peas) instead of black-eyed peas.  I’ve adapted this recipe from A Passion for Vegetables by Vera Gewanter.  Her original recipe does not indicate amounts of oil, vinegar and seasoning for the dressing.  I use the proportions as for any other vinaigrette, making a double recipe (just in case I need extra).

Serves 4, as a main dish.  I make a half recipe to serve as part of a Meza buffet.

Ingredients & Equipment

Beans

• 2 cups black-eyed peas
• warm filtered water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice per quart water

Salad

• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated (or 1 ½ tsp powdered ginger)
• ½ spicy red pepper, chopped (or cayenne powder, to taste)
• 6 – 10 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Unrefined sea salt, or to taste
• ½ tsp paprika, or to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Equipment

• large bowl (for soaking beans)
• 3-quart saucier
• jar or bowl (for dressing)
• serving bowl or platter

Method:

Soak and Cook the Beans

1. Cover beans with warm water.  Stir in lemon juice and leave in a warm place overnight (24 hours).  Check after a few hours and add more water as necessary.
2. Drain beans, rinse and put in saucier along with fresh water to cover by 1 inch.  Add coriander, garlic, ginger and red pepper or cayenne.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and cook a little over 1 hour, or until still a little chewy.  Most of the liquid should have been absorbed.

Salad

1. Meanwhile, prepare dressing by mixing oil, vinegar, salt and paprika.
2. When beans are ready, remove them from heat and drain off any liquid.  Immediately add dressing (add half at first, then more as necessary).
3. Allow to cool to room temperature. Correct seasoning.
4. Spoon into serving bowl, or onto serving platter.

References:

1. A Passion for Vegetables by Vera Gewanter
2. Emily Skinner Bean Recipes (emilyskinner.com/food/beans.html
3. The Vegan Gourmet on dried beans & peas (great reference! chezbettay.com/pages/basics1/basics_beans1.html)