Lucky Texas Caviar
December 29th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
“You have to read your fortune first,” Daniel said. At least, I think it was Daniel who said this. It was two summers ago and I had arrived home to find a group of friends sitting in the back yard drinking beers. Or as we liked to say…yarding it. I, my Chinese take out, and beer joined them. Since I don’t really remember who was there I’ve decided to pull a person from the list of who was often there.
I looked at him and looked to my fortune and my cookie. Normally, I’m eating the cookie for the fortune and would read it first, but night was set in, the print was little and I was choosing to take a chance with my life out of convenience. Now, this friend’s superstitious truth was giving me pause.
“What’s important is that you always take the fortune cookie to your left,” another friend corrected. I really have no idea who said this one. This also may not be exactly what the mystery person said, but you can understand where the conversation was going.
This particular fortune cookie had come from a wide-mouthed bowl where there was no left. “You are never supposed to take a fortune cookie that’s handed to you. That’s the rule.” I returned. I popped the fortune cookie in my mouth and chased it with the last of my beer while yet another person chimed in with their rule, “No what’s important is that you spit three times to the east and make sure to howl into the next full moon if you want the fortune to come true.
Ok, so that last rule wasn’t said at all and I only quoted an old episode of Mad About You, but really they’re all valid. If you want that little extra bit of luck make sure to live life absurdly. Over the years I’ve tried to do my best: keeping wishes secret, sprinkling salt around, carrying a four-leaf clover, keeping a little golden cat nearby, eating black-eyed peas every New Year’s Day, making sure all the elephants have raised trunks… With all the effort my life doesn’t feel particularly lucky. Unless I’m not aware of how unlucky my life could really be. That’s a thought to keep you up all night. It is the thought that keeps me knocking on wood.
Why take chances. I’m eating all of my black-eyed peas and I will eat both the fortune cookie on the left and the one randomly drawn and I might do a little howling. Hopefully, I’ll be covering my bases and not canceling them out. It would be so much easier if the rules of the luck game were written into a nicely bound paperback edition with an illustrated cover. Without this bountiful guide we have to reap what we can from various internet blogs, newspaper clippings and hearsay going on about eating greens for wealth or grapes or maybe both. (Interestingly most foods are lucky because they symbolize money, prosperity including the coin-sized-ish plump-when-they-cook beans.) And just how many black-eyed peas do you have to eat and more importantly when? Must it be just after midnight or before noon?
Texas Caviar
2 – 15 ounce cans black-eyed peas
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, chopped
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
salt
pepper
Mix together all ingredients. Chill until ready to eat. Serve with tortilla chips.
The recipe I have calls for fresh black-eyed peas. These can be hard to find anytime other than the week between Christmas and New Years. I used canned and thought it worked just as well.
Meals to Die By, no. 6
September 29th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Today we will be traveling a far distance, a distance the religious amongst us may not feel to be far enough. Do not fear, we will be stopping just short of the double hockey sticks in order to rest in purgatory.
The idea of purgatory intrigues me because, as I understand, it is the place for lost souls; for those who are walking the line between heaven and hell, but the description seems a little closer to the latter.
I have tried reading Dante’s Inferno. I never even made it into Purgatorio. The book has gained a place on the forever reading shelf. Kind of like purgatory for my books, surely — that is if a books purpose is to be read plus enjoyed then those that are enjoy heaven and those aren’t go to hell. It is possible, that some of my inability to finish Dante came from choosing the flowery translation of Longfellow.
Which was chosen because of Dante’s Club by Matthew Pearl. I’m a bit of a sucker for history. Throw in a few murders set just after the Civil War, include real authors as the unwitting investigators and base it all on another book…I was helpless to resist. However, this book also stayed in the depths of fiery brimstone.
My favorite use of purgatory for purposes of entertainment is the TV movie Purgatory. Yup, another instance of murder, mayhem and manipulation of history for the purposes of fiction. Love it. Here, in the wild west, the most famous of famous outlaws attempt to follow a strict line of rules in order to make it into heaven. Which is when purgatory starts to sound a little less than appealing.
Since starting the Meals to Die By series I’m always on the lookout for a new death by food. To those who are unfamiliar with the series I come across as creepy, but hey, in the pursuit of passion or art or whatever. The moment a friend, Charlie, revealed the name of this dish my mind went “Ping!” Another post all ready to go though yolky eggs are generally not a part of my diet. Most of the recipes I found had the eggs swimming in a pool of tomato sauce — making for a rather gruesome image. However, the first description I heard of Eggs in Purgatory included vegetables. This is the way that sounded good, finding a recipe in this style was much more difficult, but not impossible. Potatoes, artichoke hearts and whatever vegetables you want were mentioned. I ended up with mushrooms.
Honestly, the dish was a little reminiscent of eggs with salsa. Which isn’t bad…just familiar.
Eggs in Purgatory
Adapted from Whole Foods and Smitten Kitchen’s shakshuka
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
pat of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced
1 anaheim pepper, seeds removed, diced
28 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes (or crushed)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
generous ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
juice of ½ – 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
In a large skillet saute mushrooms in butter. Remove. Add in olive oil. Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno and anaheim for a few minutes. Re-add mushrooms. Add in tomatoes, paprika, cumin, cilantro, lime and salt. Simmer for a few minutes more. Make little nests in the sauce for the four eggs. Gently add in the eggs. Cook a few more minutes until eggs are poached to taste.
Serve alongside bread or tortillas.
