Leila's Commonplace Blog: Black-eyed Peas and Spinach

Claudia Roden furnished the recipe - New Book of Middle Eastern Food. I doubled it.

Cook 8 oz. dried black-eyed peas in water according to package directions (Roden said 20 minutes, my package said 90 minutes, I used the pressure cooker and had to make a guess - they were slightly overdone). I used a bay leaf because I always do. Salt and pepper at the end.

Meanwhile, chop two onions and sautee slowly in olive oil until translucent and golden. While onions are sweating, stem and thoroughly wash two pounds of fresh spinach. (you could use frozen spinach - two 14 oz. boxes) When onions are cooked, add spinach with the water clinging to its leaves; salt; put the lid on and let the spinach wilt - a few minutes or less.

Drain beans and add to spinach mixture, heat through. (I added spinach to beans - the frying pan was getting too full). I also added the juice of half a lemon - it could have used a little more. I thought about adding fresh cilantro to the spinach - my Lebanese auntie from Maghdouche would. Next time.

This was a terrific New Year's Day dish, vegan if you care. My husband the meat eater wolfed it down. Black-eyed peas unite my Southern American and South Lebanon heritages and this dish is going to be a standard in my repertoire.

For bonus points, I made a wild rice blend using the drained blackeyed pea liquid and some dried shiitake mushrooms. The rice mix is sold bulk and contains wild rice, brown rice short and long, and maybe something else. It is dense, nutty, flavorful, and exquisite with the mushrooms. I put a little plain yogurt on it. Don't know what you call this combo of North American "wild rice", Arab yogurt, and Arab black-eyed peas and spinach. I call it good....