Hungry for history: Black-eyed peas star in this shape-shifting salad

Food is a natural – and tasty – way to explore geography, history and culture outside our own. And cooking with kids is a great way to incorporate life lessons. I recently made this black-eyed pea recipe with youngsters on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

February is Black History Month, and this dish would be a great starting point to educate and inspire the kids in your life. Talk about the history of black-eyed peas, which were first domesticated in West Africa 6,000 years ago. The peas traveled to the Americas in the 17th century when enslaved West Africans carried them over on the Middle Passage.

Black-eyed peas aren’t even peas. They are a sub-species of the cowpea, which itself is a bean. To add to the confusion, this basic recipe is sometimes called salsa or cowboy caviar. Others say it’s a salad or a side dish. I say enjoy it however and whenever you like. Depending on my mood, I eat it both with a fork and on tortilla chips.

Kids will enjoy chopping, zesting, squeezing the limes, and stirring everything together. The vegetables may not be uniform, but that isn’t as important here. My students ask, “Are these OK?” I just tell them to make them smaller if giant hunks are on the cutting board.

If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that I try to eat seasonally. That starts to get tricky this time of year, but recipes like this help. You can rely on preserved fruits and vegetables that make assembly a snap. Canned corn, mangos, black-eyed peas and a jar of roasted red peppers come to the rescue in my version. The rainbow hues (we counted six) make for a very attractive dish.

There are lots of variations, so feel free to mix it up. Add diced avocado and scoop it up with tortilla chips. Include fresh jalapeno, poblano or bell peppers. Substitute black beans for one or both cans of black-eyed peas. Better yet, let the kids dictate the details, and they will be much more likely to eat a large helping. Just make sure that they save some for you.

• Leslie Meredith is the winner of the 2019 Cook of the Week Challenge and teaches people how to grow and cook “real” food. She runs Farmhouse School on a historic homestead in Campton Hills. See the school’s Facebook or Instagram pages @FarmhouseSchool or contact Leslie at food@dailyherald.com.

Black-eyed pea salad/salsa

2 15-ounce cans of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can of corn, drained and rinsed (in season, you can use fresh, raw corn from one ear)

1 15-ounce can of chopped mango, drained and rinsed

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 cup roasted red pepper, finely chopped

1 English cucumber, finely chopped

Zest and juice from 3 limes

1 tablespoon mild vinegar, such as rice or white wine

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup fresh parsley, cilantro or a combination of the two, roughly chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Tortilla chips, for serving

Add black-eyed peas, corn, mango, onion, roasted red pepper and cucumber to a large bowl. Toss to combine. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lime zest and juice, vinegar, oil, cumin and sugar. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved, then pour over the salad and toss again. Rest for at least 15 minutes. Stir in the herbs just before serving.

Serves 4

— Leslie Meredith