By André de Mendonça
This is a great dish if you are vegetarian or if you just want a cheap, quick but amazingly tasty meal. Black-eyed beans (or black-eyed peas) are available in supermarkets or health food stores, have a low GI and don’t need soaking so it can be quick.
This is for four people so vary the ingredients accordingly…
8 oz or 250g dried black-eyed beans (washed)
12 oz or 350g courgettes
A glug of good quality olive oil, per person
1 lemon quartered
Salt and pepper
Cover the beans in water and boil fast for 10 minutes (this is important with all beans so don’t skip or use a slow cooker). Cover and simmer for a further 15 to 30 minutes or until the beans are soft. The time will depend on how old the beans are. You can squeeze in some lemon juice here to prevent discolouration but I never bother with this. Five minutes before you think the beans are done, add a teaspoon of salt (or to taste), pepper and the courgettes (which you’ve cut into chunky batons by halving them and quartering each half lengthways).
Serve in bowls with some of the cooking liquid. Pour in a good glug of olive oil and give each person a lemon quarter to squeeze in according to taste… Delicious!