Georgian Lobio with Black Eyed Peas

Normally, the delicious Georgian dip lobio is made with red beans as posted about here. This new version with black-eyed peas came about because we had a bunch of leftovers hydrated after making Hoppin’ John. These legumes, while delicious are milder than the traditional so I kicked up the seasoning a bit. The end result was actually surprisingly tasty with tortilla chips. Since they’re gray-ish in appearance after being mashed cilantro adds a bit of color (it’s also the reason I topped it with cilantro in the picture). I also suggest topping with chopped tomatoes as well.

Ingredients:

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
16 oz black eyed peas
1 guajillo chili
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
½ onion, chopped small
Handful of cilantro
2 tsp blue fenugreek (alternately, regular fenugreek or sage, plus 1 tsp walnuts crushed)
cayenne pepper to taste
pepper to taste
salt to taste

Method:
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in pan. Add in bay leaves, onions, garlic and chili. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the onions gets wilted and garlic browns add in all beans, cilantro, remaining spices and about a ½ cup of water. Mix everything well. Cook for about 10 minutes. Transfer into a bowl and mash coarsely. Top with cilantro and chopped tomatoes if desired. It can be served hot or cold but hot is tastier.