OK everyone. All together now. Say cowpeas.

That’s what black-eyed peas are. They are a type of cowpeas, “one of the most ancient crops known to man” according to Purdue’s horticultural Jefferson Institute, and the real shocker is that they aren’t really peas at all. Instead, they are an African relative of the mung bean. Who knew?

Cowpeas are believed to have been introduced to the United States via the slave trade. And, as the story goes, the consumption of black-eyed cowpeas later became a New Year’s day tradition in the South as a result of the Civil War. According to Texas A and M’s website, the 40-day siege of Vicksburg left residents of that area on the verge of starvation and was illustrative of Southern food shortages and suffering during the war. As the Northern armies scoured the countryside for food, they apparently left the black-eyed cowpeas in the fields, thinking they were good only as animal feed. Southerners knew otherwise. Once the war was over, the consumption of black-eyed peas (along with greens and cornbread)  on January 1 became a Southern paean to survival both for southern whites and for newly-emancipated blacks.

Over the years, the New Year’s Day peas-greens-cornbread meal has also taken on other meanings. The three foods are humble food, so it is said that eating them on the first day of the year acknowledges one’s humility. Also, the black-eye has come to be associated with finding prosperity and wealth in the new year. As the saying goes, “peas for pennies, greens for dollars, cornbread for gold.” Some even believe that you need to eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas on January 1 to ensure that prosperity. (That’s a little less that 2/3 C. of dried beans. I was curious how onerous the 365 rule was and I counted.– I know. I know. I have no life. Even sweet little Juliet thought I was out of my mind as I counted the little dried cowpeas one by one.)

Today, the world’s largest crops of cowpeas are cultivated in Africa where Nigeria and Niger are leading producers, but black-eyed cowpeas are grown all over the world and are a major crop here in California. Worldwide, it is estimated that 1.24 million tons are grown from dry seed each year. That’s a whole lot of cowpeas.

No doubt a big part of the world-wide popularity of cowpeas is their ease of cultivation. The plants have a deep taproot that makes them more tolerant of drought and heat than other beans. Nutritionally, you get a lot of bang for your buck, too.  Low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, they are a good source of protein and fiber. In fact, a serving of cowpeas provides about the same protein as 2 ounces of meat.

I was searching around for an interesting recipe for black-eyed peas for my New Year’s meal and came across this Black-Eyed Pea Salad recipe. I enjoyed the addition of diced sweet potatoes to the black-eyes and was really taken by the tangy vinegar dressing that is tossed with the mixture.

Best wishes for a great new year. Remember to eat your black-eyed peas. Many of you missed the traditional January 1 meal, but it still can’t hurt to eat a few cowpeas for luck. A little prosperity couldn’t hurt either!

The link to the original recipe from which this recipe was adapted appears at the bottom of this post.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad for the New Year!

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Ingredients

• For the Salad
• 1/2 medium red onion or sweet onion (finely chopped)
• 1 small red bell pepper (finely chopped)
• 1/2 to 1 jalapeño (chopped)
• 2 T. chopped green onions
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 pound roasted sweet potatoes cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 4 C. freshly-cooked or canned black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
• For the Dressing
• 1/4 C. unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 C. canola oil
• 1/2 t. sugar
• 2 T. honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 C. black-eyed peas (freshly cooked or canned) drained and rinsed

Instructions

1. Peel and dice sweet potato into 1/4 inch dice. Toss in a small amount of olive oil and spread on a roasting pan. Roast in a 350 degree F. oven until tender (20-25 minutes depending upon your oven). Let diced sweet potatoes cool.
2. Combine onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, green onions, chopped parsley leaves in a large bowl.
3. Whisk rice wine vinegar, canola oil, sugar, honey, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Add to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Set aside to allow the flavors to marry.
4. Gently fold black-eyed peas into the dressing in the large bowl. Let the bean salad marinate in the dressing in your refrigerator for up to 8 hours before serving. Fold in extra dressing to your taste just before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Notes

The black-eyed peas absorb most of the dressing. I found that adding additional dressing to the beans just before serving gave the salad a boost.

I most enjoyed this salad served slightly warm or at room temperature.

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https://bluecayenne.com/black-eyed-cow-pea-salad-for-the-new-year

This recipe was adapted from a recipe that originally appeared on the Sweet Savant website. Here is a link to that recipe:

Black Eyed Peas Sweet Potato Salad

I’ve been itching to try farro in a salad and, as you may remember, I have the better part of a four-pound bag of farro sitting on my pantry shelf calling my name (See Farro and Bean Soup).

I couldn’t be more pleased with how this turned out.

It is pretty. It is unusual. The farro gives a nice chewiness to the salad. The raisins and dried cherries give a bit of unexpected sweetness and color to the dish. (I’m thinking that some fresh cherries could be used in this dish during the cherry season.)

As a bonus, the lemon vinaigrette in this recipe is really, really nice. I expect that you will find all sorts of uses for it.

And then there are the pistachios. I ask you…what part of life isn’t made better by pistachios?

My history with pistachios is a long one. A favorite pistachio memory is of the pistachio salesmen in Athens’ Syntagma Square. Syntagma is THE place enjoy a cold beer or a glass of ouzo out of Athens’ blistering afternoon sun (or, in the evening to enjoy a demitasse of thick and potent Greek coffee). As you enjoy your moment in Syntagma, salesmen drop a few pistachios on your table without making eye contact and walk on—knowing full well that, once you have tasted their pistachios you will summon them back.  In this salad, pistachios are mixed into the farro and give a delightful heartiness to the salad.

Here is my adaptation of the original recipe from the Epicurious site. See the link to the original recipe at the bottom of this page.

Recipe: Farro with Pistachios, Mixed Herbs, Golden Raisins and Dried Cherries

1 C. Farro
1/4 t. kosher salt, plus more
1/4 C. pistachios
1 t. finely grated lemon zest
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. finely grated peeled ginger
1/4 t. sugar
1/6 cup grape seed oil or olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 sliced jalapeno pepper (or serrano), sliced into rings
1/2 C. coarsely chopped mixed fresh cilantro, mint and parsley (or more)
1/3 C. golden raisins (soaked briefly)
1/3 C. dried cherries (soaked briefly)

Directions:
Rinse farro under cold water and boil in salted water for 20-25 minutes until tender. You will need to skim the surface of the water occasionally to remove foam.

While farro is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and roast pistachios for 8-10 minutes. Cool roasted nuts and chop coarsely.

In a bowl, whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger, sugar and 1/2 t. salt. Gradually whisk oil into mixture and continue whisking until dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain farro in a colander and rinse in cold water. Put farro in a large bowl and add chile, raisins, cherries, and pistachios. Drizzle vinaigrette over farro mixture and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Serve at room temperature.

Garnish with additional pistachios, chopped cilantro or mint and a bit of chopped lemon rind.

Here is the link to the original Epicurious recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/farro-with-pistachios-mixed-herbs-and-golden-raisins