I have always thought that black-eyed peas were bigger than New Year’s. In fact, until I moved out of Mississippi, I didn’t even know they were a New Year’s “thing.” (My family eats them pretty much all year round, usually as a simple side cooked with a little ham.)
The nutty, savory legume doesn’t need a lot of doctoring—they have plenty of flavor on their own—and their inherent wealth of taste is what makes them such a good candidate for a hummus-like situation. Honestly, though I love black-eyed peas, I was not expecting to love this stuff as much as I did. It didn’t hurt that it has a whole head of roasted garlic in it—because what is hummus without garlic?—but it was crazy creamy texture that surprised me. Even using canned beans, you get a dip that’s super smooth and luscious. Besides using a completely different bean (and way more garlic than most recipes call for), the ingredients are more or less the same as a hummus made from chickpeas. To make it yourself, you will need:
1 can of black-eyed peas, rinsed
1 head of roasted garlic (See how to do that here.)
1/4 cup of tahini
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3/4 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of salt
Jarred pimentos for garnishing
Add everything except the pimentos to a food processor and blend it until it’s super smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Scoop it into a serving vessel, garnish with pimento slices, and serve with some crackers (either saltines or cornbread crisps) alongside pimento cheese for a very fantastic snack plate. If you really want to go for it you can get deviled eggs involved. (You should probably go for it.)