Charlottesville is lucky enough to have a full-service camera shop and, unsurprisingly, I spend a lot of time there. Here is a photo of the shop, which is called Pro Camera. I also took one of the photos that is on the wall.
Now Eating: Black-Eyed Peas With Collard Greens
If I need to make a meal that I know my kids will eat, I always go for some variation on beans and greens. For whatever reason, both of my children will happily eat a bowl of spiced and richly flavored legumes with a green, whether it’s spinach or chard or in this case, collards. I know this sounds Southern, but this recipe, from Martha Rose Shulman of the NYT Cooking section, is a variation on a Greek dish, which is why it’s finished with plenty of dill, lemon juice and feta cheese. I also added mint and thinly sliced red onions, lightly pickled in red wine vinegar.
And while this recipe isn’t from the American South, I cannot eat peas and greens without cornbread, so we had cornbread, too.
Ingredients
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½ pound black-eyed peas, rinsed
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3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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1 large onion, chopped
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3 large garlic cloves, minced
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1 bay leaf
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Salt to taste
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1 large bunch collard greens (1½ to 2 pounds), stemmed, washed well and chopped or cut in ribbons
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2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in ½ cup water
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¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh dill (to taste)
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Freshly ground pepper to taste
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Fresh lemon juice (optional)
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Feta cheese (optional)
Directions
Place the black-eyed peas in a large saucepan, cover with water by two inches, bring to a boil and then drain. Combine with half the onion and one of the garlic cloves in the saucepan. Add water to cover by two inches, and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaf, and reduce the heat. Add salt to taste, cover and simmer 30 minutes, until the beans are just tender. Drain through a strainer set over a bowl.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large, ovenproof lidded skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat and add the remaining onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes, and add the remaining garlic. Stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. A handful at a time, stir in the greens. As the greens wilt, stir in another handful, until all the greens have been added and have collapsed in the pan. Add the dissolved tomato paste and stir together. Add salt to taste. Add the beans and enough cooking liquid to barely cover everything, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes, until the collards are tender and the beans very soft.
Uncover the pot, and add a bit of liquid if the beans are dry. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the dill, cover and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve warm or hot. If you wish, top with crumbled feta or a squeeze of lemon.