Cowgirl Chef: More black-eyed peas, please
Every New Year’s Day, my mom calls me in the afternoon and the first thing she’ll say is, “Have you eaten your peas?” Because by then she certainly has — along with jalapeño cornbread made in a cast-iron skillet, just like always.
Last year, I didn’t eat a single black-eyed pea, and I had one of the worst years I can remember. I lost someone I once loved, I lost someone I still love, and in the middle of it all, I packed and unpacked and moved around four times — all while trying to find a new place to live on the other side of the world.
I want a do-over, 2014. You stunk.
The next one is going to be better. I know this already. For one thing, I’ll be back in Paris, in a sweet flat that’s near two big parks where I can walk my Aussie shepherd, Rose, each day. The market is a five-minute walk away, and my best girlfriend (whose dog is Rose’s best friend) lives even closer than that.
Unlike the dark, gloomy Paris apartment I shared with my ex-boyfriend, this one has oversize windows in each room, and every morning the entire place floods with light. The kitchen needs some help, but it’s roomy and bright and as soon as I buy an oven, a dryer and a four-burner stovetop — apartments don’t usually come with appliances in France — I’ll be in business, doing cooking classes and flea market tours and writing about everything new I’m tasting and experiencing.
I can’t wait to make my first pot of coffee and settle in.
To make sure things go the way I’d like for them to in 2015, I’ve gotten a head start on my pea-eating.
As much as I love a bowl of Hoppin’ John with cornbread on the side, I tried to come up with new ways to enjoy some of these same flavors — as with the black-eyed pea cakes, the black-eyed peas and greens over grits, and the black-eyed pea and cornbread crouton salad. The black-eyed pea pico is a twist on a classic: Texas caviar.
I plan to start eating these more regularly year-round, just to be safe.
Ellise Pierce is the author of “Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking With a French Accent” (Running Press, $25). www.cowgirlchef.com, @cowgirlchef.
Black-eyed pea cakes with creamy no-cream avocado sauce
Makes 8 (2- to 3-inch) cakes
▪ 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
▪ 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
▪ 3 green onions, chopped
▪ Half a jalepeño, finely chopped
▪ 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
▪ 1 egg
▪ 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
▪ Sea salt and pepper, to taste
▪ 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil, for cooking
▪ 1 avocado
▪ 1 clove of garlic
▪ 1/4 cup canola oil
▪ 1 cup water
▪ Cilantro, chopped, for garnish (optional)
1. Gently mash some of the black-eyed peas in a large, wide bowl (you want them to be broken up but not pureed, so do this with a hand masher). Mix in cornmeal, green onions, jalapeño, yogurt, egg and smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper.
2. Put 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat and spoon out the batter into 8 pancakes. Flip when necessary.
4. While the pancakes are cooking, put avocado, garlic, 1/4 cup canola oil and water in a blender. Puree until smooth. Taste for seasonings and add salt if you need to.
5. To serve, put one or two pancakes on a plate, pour some avocado sauce on top and sprinkle with cilantro.
Cowgirl tip: Add grilled shrimp for a great appetizer or light dinner.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 214 calories, 13 grams fat, 19 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 27 milligrams cholesterol, 20 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber, 55 percent of calories from fat.
Black-eyed pea pico
Makes 2 cups
▪ 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
▪ 1 clove garlic, minced
▪ 8 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
▪ 10 cherry tomatoes, chopped into fourths
▪ Quarter of a jalapeño, chopped
▪ Small handful cilantro, chopped
▪ 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
▪ Sea salt to taste
Mix everything together and taste. It’s better if you make this an hour in advance.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 41 calories, 1 gram fat, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 5 percent of calories from fat.
Black-eyed peas and greens over cheese grits
Makes 6 to 8 servings
▪ 1 cup uncooked grits
▪ Salt
▪ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
▪ A few drops of Tabasco sauce
▪ 1 tablespoon canola oil
▪ 1/4 cup chopped onion
▪ 1 clove garlic, minced
▪ 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
▪ Half a bunch of kale, ribs removed and thinly sliced
▪ 6 ounces baby spinach
▪ Parsley, for garnish (optional)
1. Put 3 cups of water on to boil. Add grits and a pinch of salt, stir, and reduce heat. Cook 5 minutes, then add cheese and Tabasco sauce. It shouldn’t be too thick. Turn off the heat and cover.
2. Put canola oil, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, or until the onion starts to become translucent. Add peas and warm them through. Now add greens and cook until they begin to wilt slightly. Turn off the heat.
3. To serve, ladle some of the grits into a bowl or onto a plate, add peas and greens on top, and sprinkle with parsley.
Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 6: 347 calories, 16 grams fat, 35 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams protein, 40 milligrams cholesterol, 262 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber, 40 percent of calories from fat.
Deep South salad
Makes 2 dinner-size or 4 first-course salads
▪ 4 slices bacon
▪ 3 cups cornbread croutons (see note)
▪ 2 cups black-eyed peas
▪ Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
▪ 2 big handfuls arugula or baby spinach
▪ A couple green onions, sliced
▪ 1 clove garlic, minced
▪ 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
▪ Juice of half a lemon
▪ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
▪ 2 teaspoons honey
▪ Sea salt and pepper
▪ 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
▪ Handful of toasted pecans
1. Fry bacon until it’s crisp, leaving 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet. Put bacon on paper towels to drain.
2. Meanwhile, put cornbread croutons, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, arugula and onions in a big salad bowl. Crumble bacon over the salad.
3. Shake up garlic, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, and salt and pepper in an old jam jar. Let rest for 10 minutes, then add grapeseed oil and shake again.
4. Reheat bacon grease in the skillet and whisk in dressing. Let cook for about a minute, then pour over salad and toss. Top with pecans and serve immediately.
Note: To make cornbread croutons, cut cooked cornbread into 1/2-inch cubes and bake on a cookie sheet in a 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes. You can use a homemade cornbread recipe or one from a box.
Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 2: 1,035 calories, 70 grams fat, 84 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 597 milligrams sodium, 15 grams dietary fiber, 59 percent of calories from fat.
— From “Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking With a French Accent” (Running Press)
This story was originally published December 30, 2014 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Cowgirl Chef: More black-eyed peas, please."