I have just eaten the most delicious veggie stew with some amazing dried peas called Black Badgers. They are really delicious, with an earthy, nutty taste. (Dave, my husband, said “I could eat these every day.”, which is quite accolade!) When I bought peas from Hodmedod’s, I thought they would be dried green ones, the kind you use for mushy peas (and actually they do sell Kabuki peas, which are like those), but these dark brown ones are a real find. And the best bit is that they are grown in Norfolk, together with peas and fava beans (split or whole – I much prefer split, as I find the skins a bit tough on the whole ones) and you can buy them from Hodmedod’s).
As normal with dried pulses, I soaked them overnight and then cooked them for about an hour without salt before adding them to the veggie stew. (Salt toughens peas and beans and makes them cook more slowly and in some cases not at all!) I found the taste of the unsalted peas was really nice – apparently they traditionally cook them in the oven with vinegar to have on bonfire night up north! I then added them to some onions, carrots and garlic I had cooked and put some chopped spinach on top to wilt, just seasoning them with salt and pepper, as I wanted to keep their flavour fairly pure this first time, but I’m sure you can add all sorts of veg and seasonings. (There’s a recipe leaflet with the peas.)
It is so satisfying to get local dried pulses, especially now that I am eating mainly vegan food and pulses are my main protein source – imported dried pulses, such as lentils, chick peas, kidney beans, butter beans, have a much lower carbon footprint than a lot of imported food, as they are minimally packaged, don’t contain water and are shipped in enormous container vessels which travel slowly, but it’s still better to get things locally if possible! I’ve managed to remain mainly vegan for the last five months (thus lowering my carbon footprint considerably), with just few days while eating out on holiday when I ate meat. It really is so much easier than I had thought and I feel healthier (now that I am taking my vitamin B12 supplement, which is essential for vegans). I find there is as much variety with the various pulses and ways of cooking them as there is with meat and fish.
August 13, 2013