Saturday, August 21, 2010

Rosie Makes A Black Eyed Pea Salad.

No, that's not an egg yolk. That's one of my yellow cherry tomatoes in a delicious and light black eyed pea salad, perfect for a lunch accompaniment on a hot summer's day or just for snacking on. Great on a tostito chip. Beans are nutritionally wonderful. They're low in fat and are an excellent source of protein, fiber, and plant-based nutrients. They also can prolong the feeling of fullness after a meal and can help control blood sugar levels. Please do not hesitate to cook with beans. I think some people do because the bean directions generally tell you to soak overnight and people think it involves lengthy cooking on the stove. No and no. All I do is rinse my beans, put them in boiling salted water, and simmer away. Simmer time depends upon the bean. And remember I like my beans, al dente. These black eyed peas were ready in about 30 minutes. Black beans take a bit longer - 35 - 40 minutes. Kidney beans even longer - 40 - 45 minutes. For longer cooking beans, I drain and refresh the water halfway through cooking time. According to la grande dame, Julia, this refreshing of water, decreases the effects of "intestinal motility." Mr. Hawthorne has a different way of doing beans. He puts them in salted water, then brings the water to a good rolling boil, cuts off the heat, and covers the pan. He'll come back in 20 minutes or so and taste test. If they're not ready, he uncovers, brings to a boil again, and taste tests. He thinks his method is more consistent, but I haven't experienced any inconsistencies in my beans with my method. I find the taste of cooked dried beans far superior to canned beans and worth the minimal effort to prepare them. I will admit I have Semi-Ho'd it before and used canned beans, but I didn't like it one bit. I had to rinse the slime off for about 5 minutes to remove excess salt and indigestible sugars that are in the cloudy liquid/slime. That was enough to turn me off the canned product.
First, rinse off the beans.
Bring salted water to a boil and add in the beans.
My mise en place: 1 cup dried beans, cooked (Makes about 2 cups.) Juice of 1 lemon 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 TB Dijon mustard 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 cup or so ELBOO (That's Extra Light Bertolli Olive Oil!) 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 pepper, chopped cherry or grape tomatoes flat leaf parsley, chopped
I squeezed the juice of one lemon into a medium bowl. It always help to roll your citrus before juicing. When I sliced my lemon, I noticed it had quite a thick rind, so I added the juice of a lime too.
I minced the garlic. The more you mince, the stronger the flavor.
Add garlic to citrus.
Plop in a tablespoon of Dijon.
A teaspoon of sugar.
Slowly drizzle ELBOO into the mixture, whisking constantly, until you have a nice emulsion. Add salt and pepper.
Add red onion to dressing.
Add in black eyed peas.
Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour before adding the rest of the ingredients.
My mise en place: bean marinade mixture celery scallion green pepper parsley cherry tomatoes
I minced my parsley, sliced the scallion, and chopped the pepper and celery.
Add all greenery to the beanery.
Mix well.
Add in sliced cherry or grape tomatoes.
I love cool salads that pack a punch. A bean salad does just that. I taste the meatiness of the bean. The freshness of the greenery. The brightness of the citrus. The warmth of the Dijon.
You know it. That's nuthin' but a moufful o' goodness.
It was a harmonious collage of flavors, textures, and colors. Oh. And it was good too.

1 comment:

Hairball T. Hairball said...

Your 'maters look SOO tasty! Can you email me some of those beauties? *drools*