My husband found an old cookery book in a second hand shop called Jewish Cooking In America. He gave it to me with a little trepidation as I don’t like receiving cooking books as gifts. It’s a gem of a book tracing Jewish cooking from Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey and Syria. There are so many fascinating recipes and accounts, including a very touching account of the Jewish community in Salonica, Greece and their escape, the lucky few, to the USA. The recipe below is an adaptation of a recipe in the book and one which epitomises East Med Food as variations of it can be found in other East Med countries.
I would just as happily use kid goat for this, the black eyed peas are creamy and the sauce is lively and satisfying. I froze some of it and it was great as a mid-week dinner.
500g of dry black eyed peas
1.5kg of diced veal
250g of spinach
100ml of olive oil
1 onion finely diced
20g of fresh garlic
1 large cinnamon stick
2 heaped tablespoons of tomato paste
1ltr of chicken stock
1 heaped teaspoon of coriander
Directions
- Soak the peas for 8 hours.
- Boil the peas in a pan for 30 minutes removing the scum as it appears. Drain.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the onions, garlic, and cinnamon. Fry on a medium heat until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in the coriander and tomato paste.
- Add the veal and fry for a couple more minutes.
- Add 500 ml of stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a big pot and add the peas and the rest of the stock.
- Cook for an hour and 15 minutes or until veal is very soft.
- Do not serve immediately and allow to stand for at least 20 minutes. It is best eaten at room temperature. Serve with fresh crusty bread.
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