Black-Eyed Beans with Chorizo and Chimichurri

Valentina from Trembom - English Version is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've got something that shouldn't be mistaken for a musical group...Black-eyed Beans


Black-eyed Peas...Black-eyed Beans, different name, same legume - trace their origins to Africa. As with all legumes, they are a great source of fibre but also contain Vitamins A, B6, B12, C & Folate as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.

These black-eyed beans find their way in a recipe by Lisa Featherby and found in the October issue of Gourmet Traveller - in fact they are the cover photo. One look at that photo and I just had to make the recipe.

They are served with a Chimichurri sauce made using Piquillo Peppers. Fate obviously worked its magic as I had just sourced some from Casa Iberica


These are large wood-fired Peppers so I have adjusted the recipe to take that into consideration. They look good enough to eat just as they are!


Chimichurri is an Argentine or more broadly speaking, a South American sauce that is usually served with grilled meats. While the recipe called for fresh oregano, I've used parsley though you could also substitute coriander/cilantro.

Black-Eyed Beans with Chorizo and Chimichurri

150 grams dried black-eyed beans
1-2 chorizo, sliced thickly

Chimichurri:
4 large canned piquillo peppers, chopped finely
finely chopped parsley
80mls extra virgin olive oil
50mls sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, peeled

Prepare the beans:
Rinse the beans and then place into a bowl. Add enough cold water to cover the beans by a couple of inches. Let them soak, uncovered, overnight.

The next day, drain and rinse - you'll notice that they will have swelled in size.



Cook the beans:
Place the soaked beans into a pot of cold water, along with the garlic clove and boil until the beans are tender. Remove the garlic after 5 minutes - you will use this in the marinade.

Make the marinade:
Chop the boiled garlic very finely - I've boiled it to remove a little of that raw garlic edge and soften the taste.

Place the chopped peppers, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, paprika and garlic into a bowl and stir well to combine. Add the drained cooked beans and stir again - taste and then adjust for salt and pepper.

Cook the Chorizo:
Either Grill or sauté the Chorizo slices until browned.

Assemble the Dish:
Place the chimichirri beans onto a serving dish and top with chorizo slices.


You can serve this straight away while the beans are still warm or allow to cool. The beans will take on those wonderful flavours of the Chimichurri.


Make sure you serve this with plenty of good bread to soak up that luscious sauce.