Dinner Bowl #66
As I studied the contents of my freezer with an aim of using things up in there, I was bewildered to find half a bag of black eyed peas. When did I buy black eyed peas? I thought I'd used all I had. I guess not! Fortunately, though, I found a recipe for black eyed peas cooked with butter and scallions that was easy to adapt and veganize in the same cookbook I used for yesterday's post, The Complete Vegetable Cookbook (1994). That recipe suggested serving it with their own recipe for creamy greens and tomatoes and a rice or potato dish. I made the greens using collards and made a veggie rice dish that was largely improvisational, something like a pilaf made with mirepoix to boost the veggie content of this meal. I also wanted something with cornmeal in it because it seemed to me that black eyed peas and greens demanded such a thing (see my previous post about the symbolism of food for more on that), so I attempted to make Johnnycakes and ended up with something like cross between a pancake and a tortilla.
The original recipe for the black eyed peas calls for the canned kind, not frozen, and I suspect that might be better, as the frozen ones retain a bit more structure and snap and I think this recipe needs that sort of melt-in-the-mouth quality. Still, it was simple and tasty, and I'd like to try it again with canned black eyed peas.
The greens were interesting, as they use (non-dairy in my case) sour cream to cut the bitterness down. I really enjoyed them, though I think there was still something missing, somehow. Maybe I didn't salt them enough, but I think I probably could improve this with some smoked paprika.
The stars of this show really were the rice and the Johnnycake things. There is something so reliably delicious about rice. And although this recipe for the Johnnycakes proved to produce a really runny batter, the resultant thin pancakes were addictive. I will try this again with less water in the batter. They went really well with this, but also made for an excellent dessert spread with some jam and served hot with a cold glass of soy milk.
Would I ever have made this without unearthing black eyed peas in my freezer? No. Do I regret making it? No. I'll call that a win for now.
I used soy milk in the batter and there is soy in the Tofutti sour cream I used. Otherwise, this seems to be free of all major allergens.
So impressed by this gorgeous meal, featuring two frequently eaten favs: black-eyed peas and collards (a few plants of which are growing out back, as I type, in large containers on the deck). Will look into the Johnnycakes recipe, which sounds interesting. re the possible missing ingredient with the greens, I always add a touch of liquid smoke, chopped tomatoes, and plenty of grated garlic, so you are on the right track by considering smoked paprika. Collards are enhanced by smokiness and acidic flavors. But I also love them raw, as wraps, or chiffonaded as a garnish on soups and salads (I like the taste of 'bitter'). Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe recipe does already have tomatoes and I think also garlic, if I recall correctly, but liquid smoke might also add the quality I was thinking smoked paprika might. I also recently acquired some smoked salt, which I've been meaning to try, and which could probably also elevate the flavors. So many options!
DeleteI don't necessarily mind the bitterness of greens, but when it's gone I definitely want to eat more of them!