A smoky-sweet dressing takes this black-eyed-pea dish to another level
Some ingredients seem born to go together. Apples and cheddar. Watermelon and feta. Chocolate and tahini.
I'm not sure what genius first combined oranges and chipotle, but it had to have been in Mexico, soon after Columbus brought oranges to the Americas, since smoked chiles such as chipotle date to the Aztecs. Whoever it was, I applaud them, because the combination of the sweet-and-sour orange and the smoky-spicy chipotle is sheer perfection.
I was reminded of all this when I saw a recipe for Black-Eyed Peas With Oranges and Chipotle in Ilene Rosen's new book, “Saladish” (Artisan, 2018). She pitches it as a twist on the South's traditional New Year's dish, but it's ideal for any time you come across good oranges. She calls for blood oranges, which I'm sure would be beautiful here, but my beloved Cara Cara oranges were available instead, so I grabbed those for their deep-pink flesh. Navels would be fine, too.
You cut up the oranges and make the dressing while the black-eyed peas cook (although I'd forgive you for using canned peas). Besides protein and other nutrients, the legumes offer another taste dimension: earthy. But the dressing is the star. It's so good I made only one major adjustment, and that was to make more of it.