Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup dried black-eyed peas, sorted, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
1⁄2 medium onion, diced
1⁄2 cup raw peanuts
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1⁄2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon cornmeal
5 cups coconut oil

Hot Pepper Sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Coarse sea salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 habanero chile, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Preparation

To make the sauce: Warm the oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, cumin, cayenne, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and sauté until the onions start to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and chile and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, vinegar, and water. Mix well, and simmer until it starts to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer all the ingredients to an upright blender, add the white pepper, and puree until smooth. Season with additional salt to taste. Store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.

To make the fritters: Remove the skins from the beans by adding them to a large bowl, filling the bowl with water, agitating the beans, and fishing out the skins that float to the top with a fine mesh strainer. Rinse beans well.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the beans, onion, peanuts, thyme, cayenne, vinegar, water, and salt and pulse until completely smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200°F.

Remove the batter from the refrigerator, add the bell pepper and cornmeal, and beat with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.

In a medium-size saucepan over high heat, warm the coconut oil until hot but not smoking, about 5 minutes.

Lower the oil to medium high, and in batches of 5, spoon the batter into the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. Fry, stirring around, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. If necessary, adjust the temperature to ensure that the fritters do not cook too quickly.

Transfer the fritters to a paper towel–lined plate and allow them to drain. Transfer the drained fritters to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.

Serve hot with Hot Pepper Sauce.

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