Black Eyed Pea Relish Food

SPICY BLACK-EYED-PEA RELISH

Steps:

• Combine the dried peas, bacon, thyme, tomatoes, chiles and garlic in a large pot. Season with salt and pepper and pour the chicken broth over top. Simmer over medium-low heat until the peas are tender, about 1 hour.
• Drain the peas, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the thyme and chiles. Remove the bacon, tomatoes and garlic from the cooked peas and set aside. Cut up the bacon and fold it back into the peas along with the cilantro, scallions and lemon juice.
• Puree the cooking liquid with the tomatoes and garlic in a blender. Dress the peas with the puree and give it a final seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Top with cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil.

BLACK EYED PEA RELISH

Steps:

• Drain liquid from canned items and combine all ingredients.
• Chill overnight or for several hours.
• Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

BLACK-EYED PEA SALSA / RELISH

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl (because this makes a lot!), combine oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, celery seed, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
• 2. Add celery, green onions, bell pepper, cucumber, jalapeno, and cilantro. Mix into dressing until well covered.
• 3. Add the corn and peas (make sure the cans are drained and rinsed). Mix well.
• 4. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, but it tastes better if you let it sit a little longer.
• I will use this as a topping for grilled chicken, or you can eat it like a dip (by serving it with corn-chips). I've even added twisty pasta to it and made it into a pasta salad. Enjoy!

BLACK-EYED PEA FRITTERS WITH HOT PEPPER RELISH

Steps:

• Soak peas for fritters:
• Put peas in water to cover by 2 inches and soak 8 hours. Drain in a colander.
• Make relish:
• Purée bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, chile, and salt in 2 batches in a food processor.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir in purée (use caution as it will splatter). Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• Make fritters:
• Purée peas, onion, and chile in food processor until as smooth as possible, then blend in egg and salt. With motor running, add 3 tablespoons water and blend until smooth and fluffy (add remaining tablespoon water if necessary to form a batter just thin enough to drop from a spoon).
• Fry fritters:
• Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy pot (preferably cast-iron) until thermometer registers 360°F. Working in batches of 8, gently drop tablespoons of batter into hot oil, using a small spoon to scrape batter from tablespoon. Fry, stirring constantly (to prevent fritters from browning too quickly), until golden, about 2 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 360°F between batches.