Simple Cooking: Blackeyed Pea Hummus
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jan 18, 2010 5:00PM
Like many legumes, blackeyed peas are often eaten around the new year to bring about wealth and prosperity. We have our hoppin' john recipes, of course. For a New Year's party a few years back, we altered our standard hummus recipe to accommodate some vegans from Arkansas, using blackeyed peas as the base. It was so well received that we've tinkered with the ingredients further to bring in the essentials of hoppin' john: blackeyed peas and pork. We've also replaced the straight cumin with harissa spice blend to give this hummus some much needed kick. The combination of pork fat/bacon grease and collard greens also give this hummus a smoky flavor we found appealing.
Try serving this up at your Super Bowl party, for dinner parties, or if you're just having friends over.
Ingredients (Makes 2 cups):
2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt
2 cups blackeyed peas, rinsed, cooked and drained
1/3 cup well-stirred tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons rendered pork fat or bacon grease
1 teaspoon harissa spice
3 tablespoons drained blackeyed pea water (for color)
3 tablespoons of either minced fresh parsley leaves or blanched collard greens
In a food processor blend together garlic paste, blackeyed peas, tahini, lemon juice, fat, and harissa, scraping down side, until smooth. Add water, parsley or collard greens, and pulse until just combined. Serve with crackers, pita toast points, or corn bread.
You can use olive oil instead of pork or bacon fat, to keep this dish completely vegetarian.