When I read the ingredient list for this recipe, I knew I had to make it. There are some items in it that I was extremely excited about.
If you have a history with preparing food, you surely know how different items in a dish work together or, as some would say, play off each other. These items are what make up a dish’s flavor profile. As you browse through the ingredient list below, see if you can guess what’s most important when it comes to the “wow” factor when tasting this dish.
The Recipe
This is a cold salad. It consists of an incredible lemon juice, honey and olive oil vinaigrette, black eyed peas, pieces of peach, kale, chard, red onion, toasted pecans, basil and red pepper. I can tell you right now, the vinaigrette can hold its own. It’s delicious and it coats every other item in this dish with flavor. I’m thrilled about that.
Next, I have to mention the black eyed peas. I’m not sure I’ve eaten these before, but the fact that I mentioned how nice and mellow they were to Laura about twice last night and once this morning says something about them. Depending on the price, I may have to switch out my recurring black beans for these. I enjoyed them a lot.
As far as flavor goes, hands down, the combination of peach, red onion, the “toasted” part of the pecans and the basil are the winners. As I tasted the final dish, I enjoyed the distinction of each one of these ingredients. Nothing got lost and the sweetness played off the savory while the acids played off the bases. It’s an awesome dish. A bowl of it was eaten before it hit the table. I cant’ recall the last time I’ve tasted something so interesting. Just look at the photo above. I think that says it all.
Ingredients
Serves: 4 to 6
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Honey
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced (Optional)
Regular Table Salt
Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 15-Ounce Cans Black-Eyed Peas, Rinsed
2 Ripe Peaches, Halved, Pitted and Chopped into Large Pieces
5 Cups Kale, Chopped
5 Cups Swiss Chard, Chopped
1/2 Large Red Onion, Chopped
1/2 Cup Pecans, Crushed and Toasted
1/4 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, Chopped
1 Red Pepper, Stemmed, Seeded and Chopped
Step-by-Step Instructions
I’d like to thank America’s Test Kitchen for the inspiration behind this recipe. Their original name was Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Peaches and Pecans. While I modified the recipe greatly to fit my tastes and available ingredients, I got the original idea from them.
Make the Vinaigrette
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and the olive oil.
Prep the Ingredients
Next, prep all the ingredients. I first gathered and chopped the kale and chard. I added them to a bowl of their own.
After that, I rinsed the black eyed peas in a sieve and placed them in another bowl.
Then I tackled the peaches. I cut each one in half, right around the pit and pulled the two halves apart. I pulled out the pit and cut each half into 9 pieces and stored them in a bowl.
I chopped the half of a red onion.
And then I toasted the pecans by first crushing them in my fist and then placing them in a small skillet. I added a bit of olive oil to the pan and warmed it over medium heat for about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn them.
Finally, I chopped up the red pepper.
Combine the Ingredients
After everything was prepped, I combined all of it in a large bowl except for the kale and chard.
The reason I did this was to make sure everything was coated with the vinaigrette as well as it could be. After I mixed the ingredients, I added the kale and the chard and mixed again. Once that was finished, I added some spoonfuls to a few bowls and served.
The Final Salad
As I said above, this salad is wonderful. It’s probably the best I’ve eaten all year. I’ll definitely be preparing this one again.
Leave a Reply