Summer Delicious

It's July 4th! Strangely enough the people have disappeared. Maybe they're all on vacation. No smokey barbecue smells wafting through the air here. None of the recognizable sounds associated with the holiday; the pssst of the flip top beer can, the squealing of contented children running through the sprinkler, the undulating humm of adult conversation. And you know what? I do miss it; getting together for an old fashioned family gathering. Anyway Happy Independence Day...freedom is a beautiful thing!

So today, I cook, I create and I taste in my favorite room in the house, the kitchen, where the magic happens. The black-eyed peas have soaked and sprouted and are now highly nutritious. The peaches, from the farmers market are ripe and fragrant. How about Black-eyed Pea pancakes(my take on an Indian favorite and adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking)and a minty peach salsa(similar to a chutney but more refreshing)?


Black-Eyed Pea Pancakes

1 cup black-eyed peas, picked over, rinsed, and drained
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into quarters
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
2 dried red chili peppers or 1 green chili pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
About 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Soak the black-eyed peas in water overnight. Rinse, replace water, and soak again for twelve to twenty-four hours. Drain and pick off as many loose skins as you can. In a food processor with a metal blade, process black-eyed peas, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, removing lid and scraping down sides periodically until the mixture is paste-like. (It will still have lumps in it.) Add water and remaining ingredients except oil. Process into a thick batter. Empty the batter into a bowl. Have oil handy with a small spoon next to the stove. Pour one teaspoon of oil into an eight-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, scoop 1/3 cup of the batter into the center of the skillet. After three to four seconds, spread away from the center of the batter with the back of a large metal spoon, forming a thin pancake. Spread one teaspoon of oil over the top. Let the pancake cook for about two minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Flip over with a plastic spatula and cook for about another two minutes. Remove to a plate with the first side up. (Stir the batter before you make each pancake.) Wrap pancakes in foil if not serving immediately.


Minty Peach Salsa

2 cups peaches, skinned and chopped
1/2 cup Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup sweet red bell pepper
2 pinches sea salt
Zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons agave nectar
Juice of 1 lime
Reserved juice from peaches
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 or 2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

In a bowl, combine peaches, onion, bell pepper, salt, and lime zest. Allow to sit for fifteen minutes and reserve the juice in a small bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine agave nectar, lime juice, reserved peach juice, and powdered ginger. Simmer over medium to low heat until mixture is reduced to less than half, becoming a light syrup. Remove from heat. Cool.

When syrup is cool, pour over peach mixture. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and fresh mint and stir. Serve at room temperature. Best eaten same day. Enjoy with black-eyed pea pancakes.