Acarajé- Brazilian Black-Eyed Pea Fritters

Must Try Recipes

In the book Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, main character Nacib quickly finds himself the owner of the most popular bar in town after his new cook, Gabriela, starts whipping up bar snacks like these.  Of course her good looks don’t hurt, but I think these fritters deserve some of the credit too.

Great as a snack, but would also make a great topping to a salad.  Why should falafel have all the fun?

Black-Eyed Pea Fritters

Ingredients:

* 1 cup dried black-eyed peas
* 1/2 medium onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic
* salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
* several cups oil for frying

Directions:

After rinsing, place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 12-24 hours.

Drain the beans and place in a food processor with the onion and garlic and process until finely ground. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne and pulse until well-mixed.

Place the oil in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat until 350. Use your hand to shape the dough into balls, about the size of a heaping tablespoon and drop into the oil, being careful not to crowd the fritters. Fry for several minutes until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

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