New Year's Spicy Black-Eyed Peas with Greens
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dried black-eyed peas (or 1 can)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
1 small or 1/2 large red onion, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, peeled and grated
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 jalepeno, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 -1 teaspoon or more berbere
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 cup or more vegetable stock
3/4 cup or more unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup collard greens, washed, stems removed and chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 scallion, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
salt and freshly ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan, cover the peas with plenty of water, add bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, over moderately low heat until tender, about an hour. After about 40-45 minutes, add a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook until tender then remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes, then drain well. If you’re using canned black-eyed peas, you can skip this step. Simply rinse and drain canned black-eyed peas and proceed with the instructions below.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until tender, then add ginger, garlic, chile and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the berbere and turmeric and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil then simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens a bit, about 20 minutes.
3. Add the peas to the sauce and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the peas are lightly coated, about 10 minutes. Adjust consistency by adding more stock and/or coconut milk. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, berbere, etc). Fold in greens, then cilantro and scallions. Garnish with cilantro and scallions and serve. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.