Hearty Pea Cakes Recipes

SWEET PEA CAKE

Steps:

• Tint 5 1/4 cups frosting pale pink (for filling and base coat). With a small offset spatula, spread top of bottom cake layer with 1 1/4 cups pale-pink frosting; carefully slide the second cake layer back on top of the first layer.
• With a serrated knife, trim cake to measure 8 by 11 inches. Gently brush away loose crumbs from top and sides of cake with a pastry brush. With the offset spatula, spread about 1 1/2 cups pale pink frosting over top and sides of cake to form a crumb coat. Refrigerate cake until frosting is firm, about 15 minutes.
• With a large offset spatula, spread about 2 more cups pale-pink frosting over top and sides to form a second coat. Smooth top and remove excess frosting with the large offset spatula. Smooth sides with a bench scraper. Return cake to refrigerator, and chill until second coat is firm, about 15 minutes.
• Tint 1 1/2 cups frosting each pale pink and dark pink (for flowers). Tint 3/4 cup each pale peach and peach (for more flowers). Tint 3/4 cup green (for leaves, stems, and calyxes). Set aside.
• Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, mark a pattern on the frosting to serve as a guideline for piping stems.
• Decorate cake: Pipe stems using green frosting and the #2 tip. Then, using pink frosting and the #103 petal tip, form two basic petals, side by side: Hold the bag at a 45 degree angle to the cake, with the tip's wide end down and narrow end pointed away and slightly to the left. Move the tip forward 1/8 inch and back again while you pivot the narrow end to the right. Pipe two smaller petals overlapping each other on top of the first two. Switch to a lighter-color frosting; hold bag at 90 degrees to the flower with wide end facing forward, and pipe a center, pulling down slightly. Switch to green frosting and the #352 leaf tip: Starting at the base of the bloom with the tip's pointed end facing up, pipe small leaves, pulling tip toward flower. For small blooms and buds, make fewer petals. Add curlicues with the #1 tip.
• Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving. Slice into squares: To avoid crumbs on surface, make each cut with one downward motion, pulling knife back toward you (not upward) and wiping knife clean after each cut.

HEARTY COUNTRY HOT CAKES

Steps:

• Combine buttermilk, flour, sugar, farina, oil, egg, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat using an electric mixer on low until just combined.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-low heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle and cook until middle is set, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

BLACKEYED PEA CAKES

Steps:

• Cover the black-eyed peas with cold water and soak overnight. Drain the peas. Soak the shrimp in cold water for 30 minutes, and then drain off excess water. Place the peas, shrimp and onion in a blender, along with the beaten egg and 1/4 cup of the cornmeal, and puree until smooth. Add salt if necessary (the dried shrimp may already be salty).
• Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of cornmeal and the flour in a bowl. Form the pea mixture into small patties and dredge them in the cornmeal mixture.
• Pour the oil into a frying pan and heat over moderate heat. Test by dropping in a little of the pea mixture. If it bubbles immediately and rises to the surface, the oil is ready.
• Drop 4 to 6 patties into the hot oil and pan-fry until golden, shaking the pan constantly, turning the patties once, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a strainer or slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Continue to pan-fry patties in batches. Serve with Tomatillo-Scallion Mayonnaise.
• In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Worcestershire. Blend with a whisk. Gradually add oil, a drop at a time, whisking constantly. As mixture begins to thicken and looks like mayonnaise, you can add oil more generously. Adjust seasonings and store in refrigerator as long as 4 days.
• In a blender, combine scallions, sour cream, and lemon juice. Pulse a few times to combine, then puree until smooth. Add salt, pepper, tomatillos and 1/2 cup of the Mayonnaise. Blend just to combine.

HEARTY BLACK-EYED PEAS

Steps:

• In a skillet, combine the first 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

CHICKPEA CAKES

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, followed by the onion. Saute for 5 minutes, until soft, then add the garlic, jalapeño, coriander, cumin, mint, turmeric, and cayenne, and sauté for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chickpeas. Let cool.
• Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse until the chickpeas are broken down, but the mixture still has texture. Fold in the salt, egg, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs. Refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes so it can firm up and cool completely, making it easier to form into patties.
• Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs onto a plate. Form 3 tablespoons of the mixture into a ball. Flatten the ball against your palm, shaping it into a cake. Dredge the cake in the bread crumbs. Heat a skillet with 1/4 inch of olive oil. When the oil is hot, drop in several cakes and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Drain on a wire cooling rack. If you prefer to bake the cakes, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the cakes on an oiled, parchment-lined baking sheet and brush each one with a little olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 5 minutes, or until the cakes are brown on top and crisp. Serve hot.

JERK PORK ON RED PEPPER MAYO AND BLACK-EYED-PEA CAKES

Steps:

• Mash half of peas in a bowl with a fork and stir in remaining peas.
• Cook red peppers in butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until barely softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Transfer one third of pepper mixture to a bowl and cool. Set aside for red pepper mayo.
• Stir remaining pepper mixture into peas with bread crumbs, cilantro, eggs, cumin, and salt. Scoop 1 tablespoon mixture into palm of your hand (mixture will be soft and moist) and form into a roughly 1-inch-wide patty. Put it on a tray and form more patties in same manner, arranging in 1 layer on tray. Dip patties, 1 at a time, into cornmeal, turning gently to coat, and transfer as coated to a tray lined with wax paper and dusted with cornmeal. Chill patties, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 8.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook cakes, 12 at a time, until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Put cakes as cooked in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan. Between batches, carefully wipe skillet clean with paper towels and add more oil.
• Stir mayonnaise into reserved red pepper mixture and season with salt and pepper. Reheat cakes in middle of oven until hot, about 5 minutes, and top with red pepper mayo and jerk pork.