Ode to Pigeon Peas

Pigeon Peas

I walked out in the garden this morning,
  Sun warming my head, my arms,
And the green pigeon peas. 
A breath of legume, sun teased scent
   Brought them to my attention.
Picked a handful, then two.
Dropped into boiling salted water
   For 10 minutes or so, cooled in a colander,
   Shelled -  lifted from their
 Plump nurturing pods, some
   Kissed a bit brown by that sun.
Suitable now for our salad,
Or pigeon peas 'n pasta
With basil and tomato.
                                     .... C. Riley

Well, that was my inspiration (inspired to poetry as well as food) from our latest Cook the Books Club pick, Sustenance & Desire, an anthology of poems, essays and various excerpts, loosely associated with food, edited with paintings by Bascove.  I would give the book mixed reviews.  Overall a bit uneven in quality and interest.  Some of the poems mystifying, some mediocre and several excellent, of course all in my humble opinion.  Among the essay selections, I enjoyed a few, some were okay and a number of others could be done without entirely; for instance the piece on cannibalism.  Did you know that:

"The Aztec cared intensely how they ate people and also who they ate, when, and where."

Not particularly appetizing.  That said however, her art alone was worth the book purchase.  I tried to find any Bascove paintings on ebay, but none were available.  Must all be in private collections or museums.

I made a lovely salad incorporating those peas, also known locally as gandule beans or toor dal if you're from India.  Used arugula, romaine, moringa leaves (for extra protein), some toasted pine nuts, cherry tomatoes and cabbage... oil and vinegar dressing.  I want to do a post soon on moringa.  Such a worthwhile tropical perennial to have, as are pigeon peas, of course.