Black Eye Pea Cakes & Garden Update

I know, I know. I have not reviewed a wine for a few posts now. I do have a new one I will be tasting tonight so stay tuned for the review! In the meantime, I would like to show you what is happening in my garden. This is especially for Christina at A Thinking Stomach. She is a fantastic gardener in Southern California and I really enjoy her site as she writes and shows us how her garden is coming along. Her narratives and photos are lovely. So Christina, here is what is happening outside my doors now.

This is a quick shot of how I garden - in containers. They are lined up everywhere there is a space!


Yesterday, I checked on my pole beans and noticed that one of the shoots have emerged!

Today, look how much it has grown since yesterday!

Here is the bannana pepper in bloom!

Christina had a discussion on her blog regarding how we who live in very warm climates all year round tell the difference between seasons. Here in Key West it is always green, but I can tell the seasons by the different flowers that bloom at different times of the year. I know it is fall in my yard when the "Chalice" starts to bloom.

When you see these pods coming to life

The next day the flower is in full bloom. I think these are beautiful flowers and they do look just like a chalice! And what is really neat about this flower is that there is no aroma until the sun sets. Then the flowers give off the most beautiful scent that can only be detected in the evening. What a wonderful gift from Mother Nature.


When the weather starts getting a little cooler, temps in the low 80's, more of the dainty flowers seem to get happy.
So even though we do not have the beautiful leaf colors that the fall season brings up north, we do have the changing of the season here, just a different way. Christina, and everyone, hope you enjoyed the small tour of my fall garden!

Now let's talk Black Eye Pea Cakes! I adapted this recipe from one I saw in Gourmet Magazine last year.

These are a great side dish for fish, which we popped on the grill last evening.

Black Eye Pea Cakes With Green Tomato Salsa

1 can black eye peas rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 of red bell pepper minced
1/2 of green bell pepper minced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup panko (breadcrumbs)
2 or 3 eggs yolks, depending on the size of the egg
2 teaspoons of Tabasco Sauce
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley chopped
2 tablespoons of green onions chopped
1 heaping teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup of cornmeal for dusting
1/2 cup olive oil

Put the drained peas in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher but leave sort of chunky.
In a skillet heat the butter and add the onions, garlic and bell peppers until soft. Add these to the peas along with the bread crumbs, egg yolks, Tabasco, parsley, green onions, cumin and salt and pepper. Mix together. If mixture does not hold together when squeezed, and another egg yolk. Chill, covered for 1 hour.
Remove from fridge and take about a 1/4 cup of mixture in hand to make a patty. Put patties on a plate. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet, dredge patties in cornmeal, add to skillet. Cook until nice and brown turning once. Cakes should be finished in about 8 minutes. (The white coating you see is some of the cornmeal.)
Serve with:

Green Tomato Salsa

I used a mixture of tomatillos and green tomatoes to make about 3-1/2 cups, chopped
1/4 minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from one lime
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional - 1 chopped jalapeno pepper

Put all in a bowl and mix well. I let it set in fridge for about an hour so the flavors would meld.

Serve the salsa with the pea cakes and grilled fish for a marvelous healthy dinner! And of course, do not forget the wine, which I will post about next!

Cheers!