Day 8: March 21, 2016 - Black Eyed Peas with Capers, Onions and Parsley - Γρήγορη Σαλάτα με Μαυρομάτικα Κουκιά, Κάπαρη, Κρεμμύδια και Μαϊντανό

We read a lot of cookbooks.  Really, it is A LOT of reading.  Also, we read online, we talk to everyone we know about their recipes for Lenten foods, and there are so many choices.  One food that makes us perk up our ears is when we talk about capers (caper berries).

Capers (κάπαρι) are salty little lucious "berries" found on the caper bush.  They are actually not berries, even though they are often referred to as caper berries.  In fact, capers are edible flower buds.  Typically, they are pickled in a salt brine, and used to garnish and decorate foods.  Sometimes, capers are served with smoked salmon.  They add a different texture to any kind of dish where they are added, and bring a light saltiness to the flavour.

We use capers in many things.  Often they are rinsed because of the heavy salt brine where they are kept, the brine can be very overwhelming in flavour.  Some dishes call for that punch of saltiness, like when we add capers to a spaghetti sauce, the salt seems to disappear in the sweet richness of the tomatoes.  Today, we are using capers with our black eyed peas, so they will compliment the creamy texture and mild flavour with the slightly salty and crisp berry..

Black eyed peas (μαυρομάτικα κουκιά) are delicious, nutritious, and easy to make beans that could be a daily or weekly part of any menu planning activity.  We have them weekly, whether they are a part of a bean combination or if they stand alone.  They are beautiful on their own because of the pretty little pattern, with the black spot on a white bean.  And, they are creamy, nutty and mild and can be used as a base to many various dishes.  Today, we are introducing them as the basic, flavourful treat that they are, without too many ingredients, this is almost a simple bean salad.

For this recipe to serve 4 as a side dish, you will need the following:

1 cup black eyed peas, cooked
1/2 TBSP honey
1 1/2 TBSP red wine vinegar
3 tsp oil
4 tsp capers, rinsed
1 TBSP chopped parsley
1/4 onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste


Place the cooked, drained black eyed peas in a mixing bowl.  Add the onions and capers.  Our capers had stems because they are larger.  Often, you will find jars of capers that are uniform in size and shape and they are small with no stems.  Whatever type you have will work in this recipe.  We just happened to have the larger ones today, so one of our starting steps was to remove the stems.  We tried to cut one to see if that would be better, but the inside of the caper berry looked like the inside of an okra, so we thought it was best to leave the capers whole.

 Combine the honey, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oil in the bowl with the beans, capers, onions, and parsley, and mix until well blended.  You want to make sure that all the ingredients are evenly coated.

Serve immediately to get the freshest flavour out of this dish.  It can keep in the refrigerator for 5 days, but make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving.  That is the best way to get all the layers of flavour from this dish.  Because canned black eyed peas are available, you could make this dish in a matter of moments.  The fresh parsley and the flavourful capers really stand out in this dish, and we think that is what gives a simple and fresh taste.  It may also be the reason that you make this in small quantities to enjoy.


"Falsehood - and only falsehood - separates us from God ... False thoughts, false words, false feelings, false desires - Behold the aggregate of lies that leads us to non-being, illusion, and rejection of God."

(St. Nicholas of Serbia, Thoughts on Good and Evil)

Source of quote:  http://orthodox.cn/patristics/300sayings_en.htm