Kuru Börülce

This for me is simplicity at its finest! black eyes peas cooked with chard and finished with copious amounts of olive oil and lemon juice. Delightful.

Having been a frequent visitor and now a resident of North Cyprus i had eaten this traditional dish many times but never actually made it myself. With chard plentiful in the garden i thought it was about time i gave it a try.

The trick is to cook the peas in 2 exchanges of water to help them keep their colour and markings. It's also important to cook the peas until they are soft and buttery so they're nicer to eat but they also soak up all the flavour that you add to them.

Recipe 
400g black eye peas, soaked in cold water overnight
1 bunch of Swiss chard with stalks, washed and roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 carrot, peeled and split in half lengthways
Thyme
2 bay leaves
Olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Drain the peas and add them to a saucepan. Add double the amount of water and bring them up to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Strain the beans and top back up with fresh water and repeat the process again.
2. Put the peas in the pan for the final cook and add the carrot, bay leaves, thyme, 3 cloves of garlic and the juice of 1 lemon. Cover with double the amount of water and bring to the boil. Turn down to simmer and cook gently for around 40 minutes or until the peas are soft and tender. 
3. Meanwhile fry the onions in plenty of olive oil until they're soft and translucent. Add the crushed or microplaned garlic and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the chard and a cup of the pea cooking liquid. Place a lid on and let the chard steam for a few minutes until soft and tender. 
4. Drain the peas and remove the thyme, carrot and bay leaves. Add the peas to the chard and mix well to combine. Add a good glug of olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
5. This dish is traditionally eaten cold