Black-Eyed Pea Salad
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| Photo by Jamie Winkelman |
Black-Eyed Pea Salad | |
Think of this salad as more than just a side dish. Because it is so simple, your ingredients will stand out and shine. This salad is a perfect vehicle for the freshest garden tomatoes, just-picked limes, and your best olive oil (try Halutza Extra Virgin from Israel, a magical elixir). The combination of fresh, crunchy vegetables and tender peas makes a light yet satisfying side or summertime breakfast (don’t scoff; salads like this are common breakfast fare in the Middle East).
The habanero pepper will give the salad a distinctive fruity taste, and you can vary the heat of the dish by the amount you include. The heat intensity will increase slightly if any leftover salad marinates overnight. For a variation and slightly brighter taste, substitute cilantro for the flatleaf parsley.
Ingredients
1/2 pound dried black-eyed peas, soaked in water for 1 hour
1 quart water
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, seeded and diced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 bunch flatleaf parsley, chopped
juice of 2 limes
1 habanero pepper, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
lettuce leaves (optional)
Instructions
After soaking, drain the black-eyed peas and discard soaking water. Rinse the peas until water is clear and drain. Add peas and 1 quart of fresh water to a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil, and cook for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Strain peas and chill.
Place the tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, parsley, lime juice, and habanero pepper in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mixing constantly but gently; blend in olive oil, and then pour salad mixture over the black-eyed peas. Fold gently with a spatula to mix thoroughly.
Chill salad for an hour or more in the refrigerator, and serve on lettuce leaves. Garnish with crunchy sea salt or kosher salt.