A holiday tradition in Trinidad, where my husband grew up, is to eat black eyed peas on Old Years, as New Year’s Eve is known, as symbol of good luck. This is a tradition in the American South as well, in dishes like Hoppin’ John.

Another tasty way to enjoy black eyed peas is in Texas Caviar, a black eyed pea salad normally served with tortilla chips.  As a variation, you can also make little cups out of raw collard green leaves.  This is a visually appealing and fun way to serve Texas Caviar as an appetizer.

Texas Caviar in Collard Green Cups

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 lb (about 3 cups) frozen black-eyed peas, cooked, drained and cooled

8 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

3 jalapeño peppers, stems and seeds removed, finely chopped

2 plum tomatoes, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Collard green cups (recipe follows)

Technique

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the black-eyed peas, green onion, greens, cilantro, chopped jalapeño, tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, and cumin. Pour over the the black-eyed pea mixture. Stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes (best if chilled for several hours to develop the most flavor).
4. Meanwhile, make collard green cups. Wash and dry a bunch of whole collard green leaves. Remove the thick center stem. Use scissors to cut each leaf into round pieces, about 3-4 inches in diameter.
5. To serve, spoon a few spoonfuls into the center of a collard green cup.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2021 can only be better! Thank you all for your readership– I look forward to another year of SpiceboxTravels.com with you!