Yellow Split Pea Spread With Spring Crudites Recipes

GREEK YELLOW SPLIT PEA PURéE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy saucepan, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, five to six minutes. Add the split peas and enough water to cover by an inch, and bring to a boil. Skim foam off the top, reduce the heat, cover and simmer one hour. Add salt to taste, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour until the beans fall apart and sink to the bottom of the pot. Stir often to prevent them from sticking. The water should cloud, and some of the split peas will be intact while others will disintegrate. Continue to simmer until they have mostly disintegrated.
• When the beans have fallen apart and are soft and fragrant, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Replace the lid and let sit for 20 minutes. If the mixture looks more like a soup than a purée, with most of the liquid on the top, place a strainer over a bowl and pour the mixture into the strainer. Let sit for 10 minutes while the liquid runs through the strainer, then return the split peas to the pot. Taste and adjust salt. Moisten as desired with the broth. Add a generous amount of pepper, and whisk in the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice. Whisking helps break down the split peas and contributes to a smooth texture. Transfer to a bowl or plate, top with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

TWO DIPS FOR CRUDITéS

Steps:

• Yellow Split Pea Dip
• Wrap carrots, celery, white onion, herbs, and peppercorns into a bundle; tie with kitchen twine.
• Combine split peas with the water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and herb bundle in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook until split peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Discard bundle. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Drain split peas; let cool slightly.
• Puree split peas, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid in a food processor until smooth, adding more liquid as needed. To serve, drizzle spread with oil, top with red onion and capers, and season with pepper.
• Taramasalata
• Place roe in a bowl and cover with cold water; soak 10 minutes. Drain in a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth. Rinse; drain again. Gather cheesecloth around roe, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Meanwhile, cover potato in a saucepan with 2 inches cold water and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and let cool.
• Puree roe, potato, and lemon juice in a food processor. With machine running, add oil and process until smooth. Season with pepper.
• CRUDITÉS
• The dips here are accompanied by spring produce, but nearly any vegetable can be used in a platter of crudités. Serve tender vegetables, such as celery, snap peas, and baby carrots, raw; broccoli, green beans,and cauliflower are better (and lose little nutritional value) when blanched for 2 to 3 minutes in boiling water and then shocked in an ice-water bath.
• Nutrition Information
• YELLOW SPLIT PEA DIP
• (Per 1/4-cup serving)
• Calories: 124
• Saturated Fat: .5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Carbohydrates: 17g
• Protein: 6.54g
• Sodium: 408mg
• Fiber: .2g
• TARAMASALATA
• (Per 1/4-cup serving)
• Calories: 101
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4.6g
• Cholesterol: 136mg
• Carbohydrates: 3.3g
• Protein: 8.4g
• Sodium: 104mg
• Fiber: .2g