Mashed Split Pea and Shallot Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup green or yellow split peas
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons of organic butter, softened
Sea salt and ground black pepper (optional)
6-8 sage leaves, roughtly chopped (if available)
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Put split peas in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Soak overnight on kitchen counter, rinse and drain before preparing dish.

Put split peas in a medium to large size pot, add fresh cold water, and bring to a boil. Use a spoon to skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Then, reduce heat to simmer. If available, add sage and bay leaf and allow to simmer for 35-40 minutes or until peas are nice and tender. You can always add more water as you cook, if necessary.

While the split peas are simmering, cook shallots, garlic, and cumin seeds for about 3 minutes with the olive oil in a medium to large frying pan. Stir occasionally until shallots have softened. Add this mixture to the split peas in the large pot while the split peas are still cooking.

When split peas are tender, drain them, but be sure to keep the cooking water. Transfer the drained split peas into a food processor and remove the bay leaf. Add organic butter, salt and pepper if desired, and use about 6-8 tablespoons of cooking water to blend the entire mixture until it turns into a coarse puree. Add more of the cooking water, if you desire a smoother consistency.

Trying serving this delicious mashed split pea and shallot dish along with some fresh tomato and avocado slices. It also goes great with a toasted whole wheat pita.