Cowboy Peas
Just a beautifully simple dish to have simmering for hours, preferably over some open flames, while tinkering away in the garden. Good quality peas are essential here, so that is why I recommend Hodmedod’s; organic and locally grown, with an interesting array of pulses you could easily swap into this recipe if the fancy took you.
Serves 4-6
450g dried peas (I used a combination of flamingo, carlin and blue peas from Hodmedod’s)
6 dried ancho chillies
2 dried yucatan chillies
2 dried pasilla chillies
2 onions, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
200g mushrooms, finely diced
5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce (optional)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
400g tinned tomatoes
500ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp oregano
50g cheese, grated
Juice of 1/2 lime
Soak the dried peas overnight in plenty of cold water.
Cut the top off and deseed the dried chillies. Soak in 500ml of boiling water for 10 minutes
Over a medium heat, or ideally a hot but not ripping bed of charcoal, saute the vegetables in a tablespoon of oil. Once translucent, after maybe ten minutes, mince and add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook off for a further five minutes.
Add the chipotle chillies, if using, and spices to the vegetables. Cook until fragrant, then drain and add the peas. Stir well, then add the tomatoes.
Remove the dried chillies from the water, then add that water alongside the vegetable stock to the peas. Cover and allow to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Add more water if it becomes too dry.
Afer at least an hour (though this dish does benefit from as much time as you can give it), add the sugar, oregano, and lime juice. Taste to check for seasonings; a good pinch of salt is recommended at this point.
Cook until the peas are soft when pinched between your fingers. Give a good scattering of grated cheese when served.