Warm Black-eyed Peas with Yogurt & Ginger ♥

Today's recipe: A side dish made with black-eyed peas and gentle spices, served warm.

It seems a sorry shame that black-eyed peas are relegated to New Year's fare. All the good fortune that black-eyed peas are supposed to deliver during the new year? We could use a little of that year-round, don't we think? What with the Gulf oil spill, the European financial crisis, home foreclosures, the battle forming along the U.S.-Mexico border, the continuing recession ... well, if all it takes is a few black-eyed peas to turn any one of those corners, to put just one behind us, I'm in.

This is a great little side dish, familiar ingredients mixed in an unfamiliar way. It's best served slightly warm but can be made ahead of time and then rewarmed, albeit gently. For a vegetarian entrée, I'd serve it with a yogurt sauce on the side, like the cilantro sauce in Veggie Burritos with Cilantro Sauce. If you'd like a black-eyed pea salad, one that can be made in advance and served cold or at room temperature, I recommend the very good Lucky Black-eyed Pea Salad published a couple of New Year's ago on Kitchen Parade.

REVIEWS
"I tried your warm black eyed peas and yogurt yesterday, delicious." ~ Betty

WARM BLACK-EYED PEAS with YOGURT & GINGER

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 4 hours
Makes 5 cups

BLACK-EYED PEAS
1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over for stones and debris
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Water

SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup yogurt, a tablespoon at a time

COMBINE
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro to garnish

BLACK-EYED PEAS, NO-SOAK OPTION 1: Black-eyed peas needn't be soaked (see TIPS). Add salt and water to cover plus two inches in a large saucepan, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, let cook until beans are done, about 90 minutes. Watch carefully, you may need to add more water toward the end if the pot runs dry; don't hesitate to add more water than needed, just drain once the peas are cooked.

BLACK-EYED PEAS, SOAK-FIRST OPTION 2: Black-eyed peas do cook more quickly if soaked first. Cover with water plus two inches, let soak for about 3 hours. Drain, add salt and soaked beans to a large saucepan, add water to cover plus two inches. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, let cook until done, about 35 minutes. If needed, drain off excess water.

SAUCE In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on MEDIUM until shimmery, add the onion, garlic and ginger as they're prepped and cook until just soft. Add the spices and cook for a minute, stirring into the onion mixture. Add the tomatoes and let cook for a minute or two. A tablespoon at a time, stir in the yogurt.

COMBINE Stir the sauce into the hot beans and stir until combined. Add more salt if needed, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro. Can be made ahead of time and gently rewarmed (see NOTES) before serving.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Half Cup: 142 Calories; 1g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 257mg Sodium; 33g Carb; 13g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 12g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2, PointsPlus 3

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Beans & Rice from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library, available used on Amazon for $.01 (yes, that's a PENNY!) plus shipping. I like this little book, just 100 pages long but really focused on basic recipes for dried beans and rice.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
IS PRESOAKING NEEDED? I cooked half the peas one way, the other half the other. I preferred the texture of the pre-soaked beans but really, that was only a curious cook's direct side-by-side comparison, just use whichever suits you.
USE A BIG ENOUGH BOWL The peas do expand quite dramatically as they soak, be sure the soaking container is large enough.
REWARMING If made ahead of time, I recommend rewarming the peas on top of the stove, adding water to add moisture if needed. When I rewarmed the peas in the oven, they got too dry, all the moisture in the sauce had been soaked up by the peas. The other thing to do is to cook the peas and make the sauce, then combine just before rewarming and serving.
OLD DRIED BEANS & PEAS If dried beans and peas cook and cook and cook and COOK without ever really cooking, chances are, they are old. I've learned this the hard way and so no longer let myself "stock up on" dried beans. If there are any left in the pantry when winter begins, I throw them away.

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MORE FAVORITE RECIPES using DRIED BEANS & PEAS
~ Fresh Three-Bean Salad ~
~ Lentil Salad with Tomatoes, Dill & Basil ~
~ Summer Lentils ~
~ more recipes with dried beans, lentils & other legumes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Quinoa & Black Bean Salad ~
~ Creamy Slow Cooker Beans ~
~ Calico Beans ~
~ more canned & dried bean recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

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