Squiddy cooks! Black eyed peas and mustard greens stew

Mustard greens are just about the most visually attractive vegetable in the whole entire world of the local Asian grocery. They just look so neat and crisp and fresh, all tied up in their neat little bundle, and at $2 a pop, well I just cant resist.

....if only I knew what to do with them, once I got them home. Something that preferably doesn't involve leaving them in the fridge for a week, fretting over what to do with them, whilst they rapidly wilt away.

After the enlightening discovery of a bag of black eyed peas that I've been hauling around for some years and a length consultation with Recipezaar, the fate of the mustard greens was decided.

They would become a stew.

Specifically

Black Eyed Peas with Mustard Greens and Rice (stew)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
3 bay leaves
2 celery ribs, diced
3 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons celery leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups black eyed peas (from 1 cup that has been soaked for at least 8 hours)
1.5 litres massel "chicken" stock
sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 bunch mustard greens
1 cup cooked brown rice

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wide soup pot over medium heat until it becomes fragrant

2. Add the onions, bay leaves, celery, garlic, thyme, chile flakes, smoked paprika, cumin and celery leaves.

3. Cook stirring occasionally, until the onions have browned, about 20 minutes.

4. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the beans (drain them first if you used soaked dried) and the 1.5 litres of stock

5. Simmer, covered, until the beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper

6. Cut the mustard greens off at their stems and wash them. Add directly to the beans and let simmer for approximately 3 minutes.

7. Make your final seasoning adjustments.

8. Add a few spoonfuls of rice to each bowl and top with the stew. Serve with tabasco or hot sauce of choice.


It was a really easy recipe, made even easier by preparing the whole thing (bar rice) in the trusty Thermomix. A great rustic flavour and extremely hearty, the combination of beans and rice providing a complete protein for vegans.

Now. Any recommendations with what I should do with the second bunch I got sitting in there?