• Home

In My Kitchen: Cooking In Place: What I Found In My Freezer

5/22/2020

8 Comments

 
Picture
I have a small freestanding freezer that doesn’t self-defrost, and yesterday I decided to defrost it. It wasn’t really a pandemic-related stay-at-home activity, as I have to do it every few months anyway. And every time I do so, I discover something good that I’d long since forgotten about. We all have these items hidden away in our freezers; my friend Cliff Wright tells me he has five pounds of sweetbreads in his. Only Cliff would have five pounds of frozen sweetbreads.

The item I pulled out and didn’t put back in yesterday was a container of marinated black-eyed peas that I’d frozen after my annual New Years Day Black-eyed Peas open house. I have this party every year (though 2021 will most probably be an exception), and every year it’s the same menu. It’s all about the black-eyed peas, which, in the Texas tradition, we eat for good luck. But in Texas they cook theirs with ham hocks; I cook mine with garlic, onion and bay leaf and serve them as a warm salad with a cumin-scented vinaigrette. I serve a big cheese board alongside, and another simple salad of carrots, steamed and marinated in sherry vinegar and olive oil, and tossed with fresh mint. There’s lots of bread, and something sweet – cookies, chocolates, and a big bowl of tangerines.

I always make a quadruple recipe of the black-eyed peas for this event, as I’m never sure how many people will show up. Invariably, I have lots left over. Long before the guests arrive I toss all of the peas in the dressing, but I hold off on adding the chopped peppers and cilantro to half of them so that if I do have a lot left over they will freeze nicely.

​This is what I pulled from my freezer. I had forgotten all about them but they were no worse for wear after being frozen for five months. I had some bell peppers and cilantro on hand so it was easy to make my traditional salad. Dinner was ready in no time. Hopefully we got a good helping of luck along with the pleasure we took in this meal.
 
Black-Eyed Peas Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette
Yield: Serves 6
 
 
For the beans:
1 medium onion, cut in half
3 or 4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 pound black-eyed peas, washed and picked over
1 bay leaf
2 quarts water
Salt to taste
 
For the dressing and salad:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lightly toasted cumin, ground
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup broth from the beans
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
 
1. Combine the onion, garlic, black-eyed peas, bay leaf and the water in a soup pot or Dutch oven and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any foam from the surface of the water. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste (I start with 2 teaspoons; usually I add a little more). Cover and simmer until the beans are tender but not falling apart, usually about 10 to 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion and bay leaf. Carefully drain the beans through a colander or strainer set over a bowl. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
2. In a pyrex measuring cup or a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and mustard. Whisk in the bean broth, then the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a little more vinegar if you wish. Stir the dressing into the warm beans. Stir in the bell peppers and cilantro, and serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.
 
Advance preparation: The beans will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator; toss them with the vinaigrette, but if you aren't serving them right away, wait and add the cilantro and red pepper just before serving. They will freeze, either in their broth or in the vinaigrette, for 6 months or longer.
8 Comments
Liz Chapin
5/22/2020 05:31:51 pm

Dear Martha! I Feel so privileged to have attended one of your NYRs parties ! (2015?)remember well your table of scrumptious delights, especially your black eyed peas!

Reply
Madeleine Collinson
6/27/2020 03:38:49 pm

Hello Martha Rose Shulman, I just purchased your Mediterranean Light cook book which was recommended by the editor of Better Homes and Gardens in his “Letter form the Editor” In the July issue. I am experimenting because I am actually gluten and dairy free for health reasons. I just made today the Italian Sourdough Starter (Biga). Maybe I missed something, but what do I do after I reserve 1 cup of the mixed sourdough and put it in the fridge? Or is this the type of sourdough that you will start all over each time you want to bake? I am very much of a novice when it comes to sourdough. I like this cook book very much! I hope you have time to help me out a little with the sourdough question. Thank you very much! Madeleine

Reply
Martha Rose Shulman link
7/5/2020 12:54:18 pm

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. The biga recipe makes enough starter for 2 batches of dough. I don't use it as a starter that I add to and keep going; it is more like a booster for your bread, and adds a bit of tang as well. You can keep the second half for a couple of days if you don't want to use it up right away. Bring it to room temperature before you start your next bread.

Reply
Suzaan Boettger link
8/8/2020 08:56:01 am

On your "Ask Martha" section of your website, it states "Adobe Flash Player is blocked." Is that by you, or part of my computer?
Have made MANY of your NYTimes recipes -- really groove with your sensibility. Recently botched the choc chip merenque cookies because got a bit of yolk in the white, which then didn't firm up. What would you have done with the four whipped egg whites? I put choc in and baked in ramekins, which became flourless cake. Delicious and deep chocolate. Pls reply to email. Will make again, with jumbo eggs. These large were too difficult to separate.

Reply
Martha Rose Shulman link
8/11/2020 02:20:54 pm

HI and thanks so much for your comment. And what a great way to save those eggs! Yes, once you're gotten the yolk into the whipped whites there's no turning back.

Reply
Betty Ann Gunther
8/9/2021 08:21:05 pm

I discovered your recipe for New Year's Black Eyed Peas with Cumin Vinaigrette and would love to try it. but I wonder if it is for fresh, frozen or dried black-eyed peas? Would love a reply if you are still involved with this site.

Reply
Sylvia
2/26/2022 02:12:45 pm

Hello,

I love your recipes on the nytimes. Yesterday I made "Eggplant, Bulgur and Tomato Casserole with Yogurt Topping". It is delicious! In order to make the topping fluffier, I was wondering if it could be prepared like a souffle, ie, whip egg whites separately, combine yogurt and yolks, then fold that into the whites. Is there any reason NOT to do that?

Thanks so much for your great recipes.

Reply
Martha Rose Shulman link
2/26/2022 09:09:41 pm

Hi Sylvia,
That's a very nice idea. I don't see why you shouldn't try it! Let me know how it works!
Best,
Martha

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Martha Rose Shulman

    Welcome to my blog, where I’ll keep you up to date on what I’ve been up to in my kitchen as I test recipes for my Recipes for Health feature on the New York Times; what I’ll be up to with my online classes at Craftsy and my actual classes at other cooking schools; my new books and latest publications; and any other upcoming appearances and events.

    My food is all about fresh, seasonal, and organic ingredients. 

    My recipes are all about empowering you to eat well. 

     Classes

    Big Bowls: Hearty Vegetarian Meals 
    (Online Class)
    A healthy, flavorful how-to!

      Receive Martha's monthly updates!

    Submit

    Archives

    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    November 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    BOOKS

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.