Do you know black eyed beans - or black eyed peas - as they are known in the USA? I must confess that I did not - until I met my beautiful husband - for whom they are a favourite food!
As a new bride I set out to impress him (of course) - and managed to butcher these beautiful beans in numerous ways!
I served them
- too mushy - overcooked
- too hard - undercooked
- unpalatable - too salty
- tasteless - not salty enough!
We didn't have Google back then, how to cook them did not appear in any of my Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks, I was too embarrassed to ask my new mother-in-law - and obviously - I had no idea of how I should cook them!
John would politely commend each new effort and say encouraging things - but I KNEW!
Eventually, from my many mistakes, I did learn - and now am proud to say - produce one of our favourite salads!
Black Eyed Bean Salad is healthful, tasty and easy to make - so it gets three ticks from me! I hope you enjoy it too, and add it to your family favourites!
Black Eyed Bean Salad
*Start this salad the day before it is to be served
Ingredients
250 grams dried black eyed beans
sea salt
bay leaf
Method
Place the beans in a large bowl. Add cold water until the beans are covered by 5cms. Soak overnight.
Next morning drain the beans and add to a large pot of water salted with sea salt. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the beans are tender - not mushy! This will vary for each batch of beans and may, in my experience, take as little as 15 minutes - or as long as 25 minutes! Drain and cool.
To Serve
Place the black eyed beans in a serving bowl and toss through the following ingredients:
1 red capsicum - diced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped
2 spring onions - finely sliced
1 clove fresh garlic - finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
1 mild red chilli - finely chopped (optional)
The Dressing
Dress the salad by sprinkling over 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or your favourite white wine vinegar, followed by 3 tablespoons of your best EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.This makes a wonderful summer salad, and is a wonderful accompliment to steak, lamb, chicken or fish. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Enjoy!
Cheers!
Marian
