Pigeon Pea Meeting Recap

Link to the youtube videos we watched:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA51226352A2CFCD0

Great link to good stuff on Pigeon Peas:
http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/pigeon-pea.html

• Pigeon peas can be frost sensitive, but can be grown as an annual if timed properly.
• Trees grow to about 7-8 feet.
• The peas can be used green or dried (like dry beans).
• Just like legumes, they don't like to be transplanted.
• They fix nitrogen in the soil. Great article on that here: http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/nitrogen-fixing-bacteria.html

If you are planning on starting your own pigeon peas from seed. They have a THICK seed case. To speed up germination:

Soak the seeds in water for 2-4 days until you see that they have -just- sprouted. Plant them about 1/2 inch deep in soil and keep moist. NOT SOGGY.

OR

"Scarify" the seeds by rubbing with an emery board to "thin" the outer case. Then plant about 1/2 inch deep and keep moist. NOT SOGGY.



Recipe: Rice and Grandule (Pigeon Peas)

• 2 cups rice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can pigeon peas (do not drain)
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon
• 1/2 cup onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups water

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, cook onions until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stir and lower heat to the lowest heat on the stove. Cook uncovered 10 minutes, stir and cover. Continue cooking another 10 minutes.



Recipe: Arroz Con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas) By Lily Nieves 1.13.13

• 1/2 pound of gandules or One-half a 1 lb frozen bag of pigeon peas
• Jasmine Rice
• 2 bunches of fresh recao or culantro, it’s the long leaf variety not the one that resembles parsley (Los Amigos Grocery in Lehigh on Lee Blvd)
• ¼ lb. recao – long leaf culantro Eryngium foetidum
• 1 cup of aji dulce sweet tiny peppers
• Ajices dulces are found at the (Los Amigos Grocery in Lehigh on Lee Blvd and the Ortiz Flea Market)
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 onions
• 1 8-oz.-can of tomato sauce (with salt)
• Sea salt
• annatto (achiote) seeds
• 1 jar of stuffed olives (red peppers)
• capers
• oil
• (optional) 1 scotch bonnet pepper deseeded for spicy rice

Place gandules in water to boil with a little salt. Boil for 15 minutes. Do not discard water.

Heat up 1/2 a cup of oil and add 2 tablespoons of annatto seeds; Wait for the oil to turn deep red, drain seeds and discard seeds, set aside and allow annatto oil to cool.

Remove seeds from ajices dulces discard the seeds

Cut up and discard the brown ends of the fresh culantro, wash well

Blend garlic, onions, culantro, (optional: add 1 scotch bonnet pepper deseeded for spicy rice) and ajices dulces

Rinse 2 cups of rice for the gandules (feeds around 5 persons) add more if necessary

Saute blended veggies with a tablespoon of oil, once water has evaporated somewhat add the gandules and mix thoroughly

Add can of tomato sauce to veggies, stir well

Add rice to veggies, stir well

Add 1/2 a cup of drained olives to rice mixture, stir well

Add about 20 capers to rice mixture, stir well

Add annatto oil to veggies, stir well

Add salt to taste, stir well

Everything should come to a boil with the water level just above the rice, stir well

Lower flame to low, stir again, cover with a tight fitting lid and DO NOT LIFT UP LID. Cook for 1 hour.

Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho! Bon appetite! Good appetitie!