Fergalicious

Last night I had a dinner party for friends and neighbours. Here’s the menu above.

Out of all the dishes, the raves went to the insanely easy Black-Eyed Pea Salad.

The recipe is from Kevin Gillespie in Food & Wine’s September issue.

I love black-eyed peas (I really think I am a Southern girl at heart) and I liked that this was a creamy bean salad – something I haven’t seen a lot of. The cider vinegar gives the mayo a lift and a little bite. It’s a nice surprise, I think.

The only variations to the recipe I made was I omitted the Tabasco (I thought there was enough going on with the fresh garlic in the mashed potatoes and the spices in the pork loin) and used a roasted red pepper from the jar because I didn’t have a fresh one. And I never buy low-fat mayo. It’s the full version or nothing in this house.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup dried black-eyed peas
2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
4. Salt
5. 1 red bell pepper
6. 2 large celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
7. 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
8. 4 teaspoons cider vinegar
9. 4 large scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
10. Freshly ground black pepper
11. Tabasco Sauce, for seasoning

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cover the black-eyed peas with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until tender, 45 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion, season with salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Roast the bell pepper directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until charred. Let cool. Peel and seed the bell pepper; cut into 1/4-inch dice.
4. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the diced celery for 30 seconds. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again.
5. Add the mayonnaise and vinegar to the onion. Fold in the black-eyed peas, bell pepper, celery and scallions; season with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Chill before serving.

Yes, it is tasty, tasty!