I soon learned why I loved it so much: sugar! Texas Caviar, I learned, traditionally is very, very sweet. Every recipe I found also called for canned beans, canned corn, and often canned chilies. Deterred by the sugar and the cans, I mostly forgot about the salsa, also called Cowboy Caviar, until very recently when I tasted it again at a friend’s house and once again found it completely delicious. Feeling less shy, I asked for the recipe, and immediately learned, once again, why I loved it so much: sugar! I wanted to give the recipe a go, cutting the sugar way back, and cooking the beans from scratch. I did some research online and read that black eyed peas in stovetop pressure cookers require no soaking and cook in five to six minutes. Five to six minutes! Black beans, I read, similarly require no soaking and cook in about 25 minutes. It was time to give bean cooking a go in the DUROMATIC® Pressure Cooker— ** This post is sponsored by Kuhn Rikon: thank you for the support **. As noted last week, the Duromatic is a stovetop pressure cooker made by Kuhn Rikon with Milk Street’s Christopher Kimball. Last week I used the Duromatic to make Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce, which I used in one of my favorite summer recipes: eggplant involtini with homemade ricotta and parmesan. Friends, I am astonished by how quickly and perfectly the beans are cooking up in the Duromatic. Bean cooking can feel like a chore or something not suited for weeknight cooking, but I wouldn’t hesitate to cook beans now any night of the week. Also, I am finding I like Texas Caviar just as well with very little sugar. For one, the peppers, onions, and corn—I’m using fresh, raw corn here—are all so sweet right now, rendering additional sugar hardly necessary. Second, for me at least, more than sweetness, it’s all about a lot of acid in these sorts of bean-y dips. I’ve used both vinegar and fresh lime juice in this less authentic take on the salsa, which I’ve been spooning over scrambled eggs, tucking into burritos with rice and cheese, and, of course, piling atop tortilla chips. Here are a few more details about the Duromatic pressure cooker: • Manufactured in Switzerland• Energy efficient: up to 70% energy saving• Fast: up to 70% reduction in cooking time• Healthy: retains vitamins and minerals• High-quality 18/10 stainless steel• Suitable for all cooktops: induction, gas, ceran, cast, electric, halogen• Superthermic® Sandwich base engineered for fast and even heat distribution• Three separate safety features and automatic lid lock• Pressure indicator with integrated 2-level overpressure valve Texas Caviar ingredients: To cook black eyed peas… …place them in the pressure cooker with water and salt. Close the lid, bring it to high pressure over high heat. In 3 to 4 minutes, you will see two red lines. You’ll also hear a loud hissing sound, which will be your signal to turn the heat down to low. Cook at this level for five minutes; then turn off the heat and let the valve release naturally, which will take about 15 minutes. Remove the lid to find your cooked black eyed peas. Drain the black eyed peas. Repeat with black beans, cooking the black beans for 25 minutes. Transfer cooked beans to a large bowl. Chop up your vegetables and herbs. Add them to the bowl. Add dressing, a mix of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Add fresh lime. Grab some chips. Serve immediately. 4.8 from 4 reviews Notes:
Texas Caviar traditionally is very sweet. I’ve cut the sugar back from 1/2 cup to 2 teaspoons, but honestly I think I’d like it just as well with no sugar at all. I’ve offered starting measurements for the oil, vinegar, and sugar, but dress these beans to taste: add more sugar if you like; add more vinegar and fresh lime, too, if you like acidity (beans do!); and more oil if necessary. 1 cup of dried beans will yield about 2.5 cups cooked, which is the amount you’ll need for each bean here, but know that you can cook more than 1 cup of beans at a time. Beans freeze beautifully. Store them in their cooking liquid.
2 heaping cups cooked black beans 2 heaping cups cooked black eyed peas 1 large red onion, finely diced to yield 2 cups (or more or less) 2 ears corn, shucked, kernels removed 2 to 3 red (or other) bell peppers, finely diced 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts 1 –2 jalapeños, finely chopped 1 large bunch cilantro, finely chopped 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more to taste 1/2 cup vinegar, such as apple cider, white balsamic or red wine, plus more to taste 2 teaspoons sugar, optional, plus more or less to taste juice of one lime, plus more to taste tortilla chips, for serving, I love the Xochitl brand
