Swiss chard with black eyed peas
Ingredients:
1- 3 small bunches of swiss chard. ( almost 5 cups of minced swiss chard )
2- 1 cup of black eyed peas
3- 2 tbsp of olive oil
4- 8 garlic gloves ( minced )
5- 2 diced onions
6- salt to taste
7- 1 tsp of chilli powder ( optional )
8- 1 bunch of green fresh coriander
9- juice of one lemon
Instructions:
1 - wash the swiss chard very well, and drain it.
2- chop the stalks and the leaves into thin ribbons.
3- in a pot boil the swiss chard till it becomes tender.
4- remove it from the heat, and drain it.
5- boil the black eyed peas in water ( soaked overnight ).
6- in a large pot, heat the oil and fry the onion till it becomes translucent.
7- add the garlic, chilli powder ( if used ), and chopped green coriander.
8- after it is well cooked, keep aside quarter of the quantity to add it later for garnishing.
9- add the chard and the beans to the pot and around one cup of water
10- simmer gently until the chard has wilted and softened.
11- put the garnish on top of the plate and serve it with lemon and pita bread.
Notes:
* usually we cook the white swiss chard
* the traditional way is to separate stalks from the leaves and cut each separately then boil the stalks till tender and add back to the stew.
* You may first boil the black eyed peas until it is half cooked, then add the chard and boil it all together in the same pot.
* don't turn off the stove until the water is fully evaporated.