Black-eyed peas with chipotle, squash & kale
It is not always necessary to soak black-eyed peas as they do cook very quickly without, but if you want to cook them in one pot like this with vegetables, a shorter cooking time is preferable as it gives you more flexibility with the vegetables; you can add without the risk of them overcooking. This is a good brunch dish as it is very quick – I will serve with eggs and tortillas of some sort. I have included a small amount of bacon in the ingredients list as I like the smokey flavour, but as often as not will make it vegetarian. Simply omit if you wish.
SERVES 4
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 2 bacon rashers, diced, optional
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1tsp chipotle paste
• 250g black-eyed peas, soaked
• 200g squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 large bunch of kale or chard, shredded, optional, or 6 cubes frozen spinach (left frozen)
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3tbsp finely chopped coriander stems
• 1/2tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1tsp dried oregano
• Zest 1 lime
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 250ml ham, chicken or vegetable stock or water
TO SERVE, OPTIONAL
• Chilli flakes, lime wedges, coriander leaves and grated cheese
1 Heat the olive oil in your pressure cooker. Add the bacon (if using) and onion and sauté on medium-high heat until the bacon has crisped up and rendered out some fat and the onion has started to brown.
2 Add the red pepper and chipotle paste and stir for another minute, then add all the remaining ingredients.
Stir to combine and season generously with salt and pepper.
3 Close the lid and bring up to pressure. Cook at high pressure for 5min, then remove from heat and allow to drop pressure naturally.
4 Stir gently (you don’t want the squash to collapse) and serve with as many of the serving suggestions as you wish.