Email to Cat      

Savory Black-Eyed Pea Cakes

Source of Recipe

From "The Foster's Market Cookbook" by Sara Foster


Recipe Introduction

"We serve these as a vegetarian entrée, or as an hors d'oeuvre topped with salsa, chili sauce, or pepper jelly. At Foster's, we use frozen black-eyed peas since they're available all year round and they taste terrific. Since black-eyed peas are traditionally served on New Year's Day for good luck, this makes a festive party dish to celebrate January 1."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 cups fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
â—¦ 1 red onion, diced
â—¦ ½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
â—¦ 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
â—¦ 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
â—¦ 2 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs
â—¦ â…“ cup canola or safflower oil


Recipe

Place the peas in a saucepan and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes, until the peas are tender but still holding their shape.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Drain the peas and divide in half. Mix half the peas in a large bowl with the onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, Parmesan, eggs, flour, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley, and 1 cup of the bread crumbs. Mash with a potato masher until well blended.

Fold in the reserved peas and mix thoroughly. Scoop out about ½ cup of the mixture and form into three-inch cakes ½ inch thick. Repeat, to make 9 or 10 cakes. Dip each cake into the remaining bread crumbs to coat both sides. Shake off any excess bread crumbs.

Heat half the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook 6 to 8 of the cakes at a time (do not crowd the skillet), uncovered, 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy on the outside. (Note: Turn the cakes only once; if you turn them too often, they will fall apart. If the cakes are browning too quickly, reduce heat slightly.)

Drain on paper towels. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while the remaining cakes are cooking. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and cook the remaining cakes. Serve with salsa, chili sauce, or pepper jelly.

Makes nine 3-inch cakes



• Variations:
For creamier cakes, use a mild, creamy chèvre — such as Montrachet — instead of Parmesan cheese. If you like spicy food, choose, hot peppers such as jalapeño or serrano instead of milder bell peppers or banana peppers.