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.

Chickpea and Potato Curry with Pattypan Squash

This is a warming, deliciously spicy dish for those meatless nights  (economic conditions are helping me with doing more of those), and you won't at all  be missing meat here either.  Caramelizing the onion gives it an extra jolt of flavor.  I made enough soaked and boiled chickpeas for two dishes, this and a nifty bowl of hummus with lots of mint and garlic.  I figure if you're going to the trouble of doing them yourself, might as well fix a bit extra.  Once the beans are ready, everything comes together pretty easily. 

The first thing is to soak your chickpeas, covered with water by at least 3 inches, overnight.  Next day, drain and cover with water, again by 3 inches,  in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to just simmering, skimming froth, and cook til tender (not mushy).  This depends on the age of the beans, etc. perhaps 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.  Drain in a colander, reserving some of the water for later, rinse and remove any loose skins.  Set aside.