Here is another quick, tasty bean and pumpkin greens dish – this time with cloud mushrooms and in a rich tomato sauce. I served it as an alternative to meat sauce and pasta. If you wish, use different beans and cheeses, or if vegan, use nutritional yeast powder/vegan cheese supplement.
Serves 3-4
INGREDIENTS
250g (or one can) of black eyed peas, soaked overnight for 8 hours
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3-4 cloud mushrooms (These can be bought from a Chinese store. Pre-soak in hot water until softened.)
Half a pack of dried pumpkin greens (Ugu in an African store), or fresh greens/spinach
1 tin of tomatoes
Salt, to taste
SPICE MIX:
1 bay leaf
1 & 1/2 teaspoons of pimento seeds
Dried thyme
Cumin
Annatto powder
1 small piece of moruga scorpion chilli – This is an extremely hot chilli from Trinidad, with an aroma and taste similar to dark chocolate, with warm nutmeg notes. Use milder chilli if you’re not brave enough!
Oil, to sauté
METHOD
Firstly, rinse the peas, and put them to cook in the pressure cooker with water cover covering over them by 2 inches. Leave on a high heat to pressurise for 20 minutes. Then turn down the heat for around 10 minutes or less.
Grind spices.
Then, in a pot, boil the dried mushrooms and pumpkin greens for 10 minutes, until they plump up. Drain and rinse free from grit.
Chop onion and garlic, then chop the mushrooms.
Then chop the pumpkin greens, after removing the stalks.
In a pan, fry the onions and garlic. After around 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and greens, then add the tomatoes and spices.
Leave to bubble gently until onions have softened and mushrooms have cooked for at least another 10 minutes. If the peas have cooked, quickly cool the pressure cooker (if using a manual one), by pouring cold water over the weight of the pot, until it stops hissing. Check the softness of the peas. You don’t want them too soft, but cooked and firm.
It would be advised to fry the onion at least, whilst the peas are cooking in the pressure cooker or earlier to save time.
The sauce and beans should be cooked for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil some pasta. Check seasoning and serve, if desired, with cheese, nutritional yeast, or vegan cheese. Disfrutalo!!
**This also makes a great breakfast dish alongside vegetarian sausages,eggs, or on top of toast.
By Miss Khadine Seville-James of the Mariposaoro Food Channel
Hanna 