Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This salad is inspired by a Greek recipe that calls for lots of herb fennel. I couldn’t find herb fennel, so I added a thinly sliced fennel bulb to the mix. Along with its refreshing flavor, the fennel bulb contributes a delightful contrasting crunchy texture. It’s a great salad with or without the tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
• 3 large garlic cloves, 2 of them crushed and left in the skin, 1 of them minced
• ½ onion, intact
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt to taste
• 2 medium tomatoes, in season only, diced
• 1 medium fennel bulb (about 1/2 pound), trimmed, quartered, cored and sliced very thin across the grain
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh dill
• ⅓ cup chopped chives
• 2 ounces feta, crumbled

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    209 calories; 13 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 12 milligrams cholesterol; 172 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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4 servings

Preparation

1. Place the black-eyed peas, whole crushed garlic cloves, halved onion and bay leaf in a large, heavy saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender but intact, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, remove the lid and allow the black-eyed peas to cool for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the onion. Remove the garlic cloves, squeeze the cooked garlic out of the skins and back into the black-eyed peas, and drain through a strainer set over a bowl.
2. Transfer the black-eyed peas to a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, minced garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss with the beans. Add the remaining ingredients except the feta and toss together. If you want a bit more liquid with the beans, add back some of the broth (I found the dressing to be sufficient). Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve.

• Advance preparation: The salad will be good for 2 to 3 days

About 2 hours