Economical , Healthy and Tasy Food

These days peas are generally regarded as a vegetable accompaniment , but peas have quite a lot in common with Soya beans ; they are high in protein and as such a very economical  and nutritional food . Anyone who has attempted cooking with dried peas will know , however , that they are difficult to cook , in that you can boil them for a very long time and they won't soften well . In packs of green peas , suppliers often provide a 'white tablet ' to soften the peas during soaking . 

An alternative to this is to :

a) soak the peas overnight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

b) rinse the peas and cover them with water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c) and finally put the peas and water in a liquidizer or use a hand held liquidizer ( blender ) to pulverize them into a  goo .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you boil them in a pan or slow cooker they will thicken and cook very quickly ( in a matter of minutes ) .

Liquidized peas can be used as an ingredient in stews and soups .

 

 

'PEA GLOOP' ReciPEAS :

 

' High Protein Chip Shop style Curry Sauce ' :

 

Fry onions in oil with curry powder and a little salt , add liquidized peas

( with water ); bring to the boil and voila ! Curry sauce ; eat with rice , chips

( fries )  pasta or baked potatoes  .

 

Tip : This might seem obvious , but if you have a hand held liquidizer

( 'Blitzer' ) and you find that it splatters , just be careful to keep the entire 'blending head' submerged in the fluid when blending , because the splatter happens when the holes in either side of the 'blending head' are exposed to air .

 

VEGGIE BURGERS :

 

You can make burgers or 'patties' with the liquidized pea 'gloop' .

 

First liquidize the soaked peas with some water ( as described above ). Add herbs , salt and pepper ( and spices if you like ) .....

Then either :

1: add flour until the mixture is firm but moist OR

2: add breadcrumbs until firm but moist OR

3: add mixture of flour and breadcrumbs until firm but moist  OR

4: add stuffing mixture until firm but moist ( you won't need as much seasoning because stuffing mixture is already seasoned).

 

Leave the mixture to 'improve' for a while . If it becomes too dry and crumbly, add a little water at a time until it is moist.

 

Cooking method :

Put a fairly generous quantity of oil in a frying pan ( for easy shallow frying).

Form the mixture into patties , or use a tablespoon and knife to spoon the mixture carefully into the pan.

Cover the pan and cook the mixture on a LOW heat for a few minutes until it becomes firm . When it's firm enough , flip it over using a spatula . Continue to cook it on a low heat . When it's ready it should be lightly browned on both sides . Serve as a Veggie Burger .

Hint : Yellow split peas produce a better colour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PEA GLOOP KEBABS :

 

 If you deep fry the mixture in 'quinelles' the result is similar to a FALAFEL and can be served in Pitta with salad as a 'Veggie kebab' ( you could also do something similar with a Veggie burger if deep frying isn't an option ) .

T o make the quinelles crunchy :

fry them for a while until they are firm , then carefully remove them from the pan for about 30 seconds , then put them back in the pan and fry them until they begin to turn brown .

 

NB . DEEP FRYING IS  DANGEROUS and should not be attempted unless you really know what you're doing.

IMPORTANT : NEVER PUT WATER IN THE OIL IN A DEEP FRYING PAN ( it can cause a fire ). The only way to stop a fire in a deep fryer is to SMOTHER IT with, for instance, a towel.

 

Pitta Hint : Hold the pitta briefly under a running tap to moisten both sides. Let the water soak in a little , then shake off any excess moisture  . Grill on both sides (OR make sure the Pitta is reasonably dry by patting with a tea towel and cook briefly in a toaster on a low setting ) until the pitta expands .

Cut the pitta down one edge with a knife , carefully prize it open and then fill it with what you like .

AVOID OPERATING A TOASTER WITH WET HANDS

( electricity and water DON'T MIX ) .