Take advantage of the bargain prices on lemons and parsley now to make this tangy, festive sauce for black-eyed peas. This recipe uses the juice and zest of one lemon to pack citrus brightness without wasting any of fruit. Adding parsley and the lemon zest makes the sauce attractive as well as delicious. Makes a great dish to take to a holiday potluck or to serve on a buffet.
Active time: 10 minutes, starting with cooked black-eyed peas. Total time: 10 minutes. Makes about 20 servings, 1/2 cup each. Gluten-free, vegan.
Ingredients
2 pounds dried black-eyed peas, cooked (see Basic Beans recipe)
4 cups water
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 clove garlic
juice and zest from one medium lemon or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
handful of parsley leaves and tender stems, about 3/4 cup
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup broth from cooking black-eyed peas or other mild vegetable broth
Method
- Bring water to a boil in a medium pot. Add walnuts and boil for three minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, peel garlic. Set up your food processor with the cutting blade or use a blender. Turn the machine on and drop the garlic in while the blade is turning. Turn the machine off. Zest and juice lemon.
- Chop a few parsley leaves for garnish and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to machine, including walnuts. Process until smooth. Taste and add salt as needed. Sauce will be tart on its own, but taste more mellow when added to beans or potatoes.
- Stir half the sauce into hot cooked black-eyed peas. Drizzle the rest over black-eyed peas in a swirl pattern. Serve within two hours. For best lemon taste, use within a few hours, but sauce is still good for up to a week. Refrigerate any extra.
Tips and notes
- Try sauce on cooked, cubed potatoes for a healthy potato salad. Pour sauce on while potatoes are hot so potatoes will absorb sauce, then serve warm or at room temperature.
- In the photo, the black-eyed peas are being served on corn bread.
Linda Watson 
Tweet
