Love Your Basil: New Year Black-Eyed Pea with Lettuce Leaf Basil Pie

Reader Contribution by Staff
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Ramona Werst has a love for growing and cooking with basil. Currently, she has more than 30 varieties in her collection and she is adding to it all the time. She creates basil-infused recipes and would love to teach you how to Love Your Basil! Visit her blog (www.ramonasbasilgarden.com) to download her free e-book, Love Your Basil

The New Year Black-Eyed Pea with Lettuce Leaf Basil Pie will make a great lunch or brunch meal before your main New Year’s Eve meal. The pie has a spicy flavor from the chorizo and a fresh flavor from the spinach-like pesto and black-eyed peas. The lettuce leaf basil adds an herbaceous flavor that you won’t want to leave out.

You can make the pie the night before and bake it in the oven for a really tasty brunch. However, I’m not sure about the peas–they swell when cooked. I can assure you that I will be eating my share of these beans, which sybolize prosperity, for the new year. Happy New Year!


Bring in the New Year with my Black-Eyed Pea with Lettuce Leaf Basil Pie.
Photo by David Werst

New Year’s Black-Eyed Pea with Lettuce Leaf Basil Pie
To see detailed, how-to videos for this recipe, visit Love Your Basil.

• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound chorizo
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, freshly minced
• 1 (9-ounce) package fresh spinach, washed and stems removed
• 4 cups cooked fresh black-eyed peas
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• One egg
• 1 pastry for a 10-inch pie
• 3 tablespoons lettuce leaf basil, minced

1. Add mushrooms to heated olive oil; sauté to reduce the liquid for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Remove and place in a bowl; set aside.

2. Add more olive oil and the shallots; cook until they’re transparent. (It should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.) Add the chorizo and cook until browned. Next, add jalapeño, salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove and put in a bowl and set side.

3. Placing half of the spinach, black-eyed peas, cheese, heavy cream, cayenne pepper and one egg. You will process in two batches. Process until it’s the consistency of oatmeal. You don’t want it to be a paste.

4. Spoon the chorizo mixture into the bottom of the pie crust. Layer the set aside mushrooms over the chorizo mixture, then spoon the spinach mixture on top of the mushrooms. Spread the remaining black-eyed peas on top of the spinach mixture. Sprinkle the lettuce leaf basil over the layer of black-eyed peas. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours until it’s bubbly and golden.

I’m Ramona Werst, teaching you to Love Your Basil.


Please visit my blog and my Facebook Fan Page; if you click on the Like button you will be entered in my drawing for nine different Free Basil Seed packets. 

  • Published on Dec 29, 2010
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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