Greek Black-Eyed Peas Salad

Modified by Bob Levin

You can substitute canned black-eyed peas for the dried peas. Use approximately two 15-ounce cans. Rinse thoroughly. Skip step 1 and step 3 in the method instructions. Ingredients

2 cups dry black-eyed peas 1 large beet diced in pieces the thickness of the peas Salt Milled Black Pepper Turmeric 1 package of feta cheese, about 7 ounces crumbled 1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, about 8 ounces 1 cup Kalamata or oil-cured olives 1 finely chopped green onion 1/3 cup diced purple onion 1 finely chopped garlic clove 1 large bunch of spinach or baby kale, about 1 pound, washed, coarsely chopped Zest and juice of a lemon

Variations Use Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette and sour cream to your liking. Method
1 Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. Turn the heat down to low and add the black-eyed peas and beets. Let them cook slowly, uncovered, until they are done, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how old the peas are. Dont let the water simmer. Note: Black Eyed Peas cook faster than any of the other beans, so steam them if you want them to remain whole. 2 Add the spinach to a large bowl. Crumble the feta cheese into the bowl and add all the other ingredients except the lemon juice. Mix well. 3 When the black-eyed peas are done, pour them into a colander and spray them with cold water to stop the cooking. Pick through and discard any loose skins or mashed peas; youll find a few, but hopefully not many. This step can often be avoided when steaming. 4 Add the black-eyed peas to the salad, mix well and serve. Squirt some lemon juice over each serving before you take them to the table.