This and that: Black-eyed pea

Friday, January 31, 2014

Black-eyed Beans Beignets

One of the recipes that my hubby always wanted to make was Beignets using Black-eyed Beans (or peas). He said growing up in Togo, West Africa they would take Black-eyed Peas to the mill to be ground and then they would use the flour to make the Beignets. These Beignets were called Gawoo in Ewe or Beignet de Haricot in French.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Years and Black-eyed Peas

Happy New Years!

Did you see the New Years in?

I had a very hard time as I have been working nights

and yesterday was my body's day to sleep.

So does sleeping on the couch until the strike of midnight comes,

opening ones eyes and saying Happy New Years to your loved one

and promptly falling back to sleep count as seeing the New Year in?

Because that is what I did..

Did you know that Black-eyed Peas are eaten on New Years?

Black-eyed peas probably first started in West Africa but also grows in many countries in Asia. It was first introduced to the United States in the 1700. The Southerners feel that black-eyed peas show good luck and prosperity. During the Civil War it was considered a lucky dish. Union Soldiers burnt all the crops except the peas as they thought they were only used for cattle feed near Vicksburg, VA. The people of Vicksburg, found the peas and adapted to diet to include them.

In our household we eat black-eyed peas often. We use them when we make rice and beans and I also make a vegetable dish with them and eat this dish with plantains and gari. I think I will make this tonight with our New Years meal, although I don't have any plantains to go with it.

Vegetable Black-eyed Peas

I don't have any measurements for this recipes as I just throw things in.

cooked black-eyed peas - a cup or so

corn -either fresh or frozen - maybe about 1/2 cup

green beans - either fresh or frozen- also about 1/2 cup

onions to taste

2 tbsp on oil

In frying pan, add oil and then add cooked black-eyed peas, corn, beans and onions. Cook until warm~ about 5 -8 minutes. Serve with gari and plantains if you have. It also can be eaten as cooked, drizzled with a little oil.

* Gari is made from cassava tubers

So will you be eating Black-eyed Peas this year

for good fortune and prosperity throughout the next year.