Black Eyed Pea Hummus

Back in December, I worked a lot at the flower shop for the holidays. My busier schedule meant I was left with the task of grocery shopping the week before Christmas on a Saturday. And I had no choice but to take along a very feisty (then) almost three year old- an activity I try to avoid at all costs. To make matters worse, I had to go to a different store than I normally shop because we had been given a very generous Publix gift card and I figured I ought to use it to balance out all the holiday gift shopping. Naturally, the Publix nearest to me is rather small and crowded, and always a complete madhouse.

So tired and pregnant, I got to go to the busiest grocery store- one that I'm not as familiar with as my normal store, the Saturday morning before a major holiday, with a toddler. Who hates riding in a shopping cart. Good times. In order to make the experience go as smooth as possible, there was some bribery on my part. And I pretty much bought anything he asked for, so long as it was healthy, unprocessed and something we could use. When he insisted we buy a bag of dried black eyes peas -an odd request, I thought- I didn't hesitate, because I had recently seen and saved this hummus recipe.

Five months (and one new family member) later, I actually got around to using those dried beans and trying this recipe. This was a very tasty version of hummus- although not terribly different in flavor from the chickpea hummus I regularly make. This would be just as perfect to have for a casual get together, as it was simply for afternoon snacking. Serve with veggies, tortilla strips, toasted pita wedges or whole grain crackers.


Black Eyed Pea Hummus
slightly adapted from Pink Parsley (as adapted from Carolina Cooking by Deborah Zumstein, originally 700 Dayton- The Mansion as Forseth Park)

I reduced the amount of olive oil slightly, but I believe it could be reduced a little more, subbing in a little of the cooking water from the beans. 

1 2/3 cup cooked black eyes peas (or 1- 16 oz. can, drained and rinsed)
2 large cloves garlic, smashed using the blade of a knife
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp paprika, plus additional for sprinkling
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup tahini, well stirred
1/4 cup olive oil (or less if desired), plus additional for drizzling
juice from 1 lemon

Reserve about a tablespoon of black eyed peas. Add remaining to the bowl of a food processor, along with garlic, a few pinches salt and several grinds of pepper, paprika and parsley. Process until almost fully ground.

Combine tahini, olive oil and lemon juice in a measuring cup. With machine running, pour tahini mixture into processor through the feed tube. Continue processing for 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth. If too thick, add water a few teaspoons at a time, until desired consistancy is reached. 

Transfer to serving bowl. If serving right away, sprinkle with paprika, drizzle with oil and scatter reserved black eyes peas on top. Otherwise, cover with plastic wrap and chill, garnishing just before serving.