By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(159)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is another dish inspired by a recipe in Louisa Shafia’s book “The New Persian Kitchen.” You can use more or less water, depending on whether you want the dish to have the consistency of a soup or a thick stew. It’s hearty, and the most beautiful pink hue.
Featured in: Black-Eyed Pea Soup or Stew With Pomegranate and Chard
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1bunch rainbow chard
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2teaspoons ground cumin seeds
- ½pound (1⅛ cups) black-eyed peas, rinsed
- ½cup barley
- 1medium beet, peeled and cut in small dice
- 1½ to 2quarts water (to taste)
- Salt to taste
- ¼cup pomegranate molasses (more to taste)
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1generous bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1cup thick yogurt
- Seeds of 1 ripe medium-size pomegranate
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
229 calories; 7 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 1159 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Wash and stem the chard, and if the stems are wide and thick, cut the thickest parts of them into small dice (discard the thin parts). Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion and chard stems. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is very tender and lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, turmeric and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the black-eyed peas, barley, beet and water and bring to a gentle boil. Add salt to taste and the molasses. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, until the beans and barley are tender. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt.
Step
2
Stir in the chard and the cilantro. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the chard is tender but still bright. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve, garnishing each bowl with a spoonful of yogurt and pomegranate seeds.
- You can omit the yogurt for a delicious vegan version of this dish.
- Advance preparation: The beans can be prepared through Step 1 up to 3 days ahead. You will want to thin it out with more water as the barley will absorb liquid as it sits. Bring back to a simmer and proceed with the recipe. The beans can also be frozen.
Ratings
4
out of 5
159
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Cooking Notes
Kate
The NY Times has labeled this recipe as gluten-free, but the tag is wrong. This recipe contains barley (which normally contains gluten). You would need to substitute something like Job's tears (or maybe buckwheat groats or wild rice) for the barley in order to make this gluten-free. (If you need to make this gluten-free, also try to get your substitute from a clearly gluten-free source to avoid cross-contamination.)
(Source: I cook for friends who have Celiac disease.)
B Seiber
The leaves are added in Step 2. Chard stems are sometimes large and tough so need longer cooking.
Katie Name
Perfect winter dish! Delicious. I made it without the pomegranate molasses as I didn’t have any. Very hearty and full of flavor, the whole family enjoyed it!
pjoe
Remedied the problem of “too tart” with drizzling a like-molasses traditional dark balsamic vinegar. That worked on my immediate bowl. Everyone adjusted the tartness to their own tastes. It occurred to me the vinegary tartness is a classic challenge of some chili so I tempered to taste the remaining pot full with black strap molasses. Either ingredient works with this healthy fresh and versatile soup.
JRG
This recipe deserves some love - wanted Black Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day - but didn’t want ham hocks or salt pork. Had to substitute pearl couscous for barley, and carrots for beets due to the contents of my pantry - but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. DELICIOUS. Sour, yes - in the best possible way. Think hot and sour soup, sweet and sour sauce. Can’t wait to try with barley and beets. (Used fresh peas, took about 45-50 minutes to get to perfect texture).
Eileen
I did not have kale so substituted with frozen spinach but followed recipe. Delicious!
wkhull
Really good depth of flavor. I was very pleasantly surprised given the healthy list of ingredients. We served with fat-free Greek yogurt spiced with some garlic and lemon juice. Tasted great reheated with a poached egg the next day.
rightupyourali
Thought this was great. We added Better Than Bouillon chicken stock but veggie would have also been great. Will absolutely cook again!
justine
Made on NYE 2022 gave some to Dom and Jules and Stefan and Rachel
Farmgirl6
This is a delicious soup. I added a bit of chopped preserved lemon peel with the lemonjuice angree with others that the acid of the fresh pomegranate arils is fantastic
Rahul
Made this for some black eyed peas and greens for New Year’s Day (plus bonus pomegranate seeds). Absolutely delicious! I added a teaspoon of coriander powder with the rest of the spices because I only had parsley on hand to add with the chard. Added a teaspoon of garam masala before I let it simmer. Fantastic flavors - sweet and savory.
Holly
I didn't try this because of the mixed reviews, no pomegranate molasses (who knew) but mostly because I did not understand the instructions for preparing the chard. "Wash and stem the chard, and if the stems are wide and thick, cut the thickest parts of them into small dice (discard the thin parts)" What does that mean. Only use the thick stems diced? Don't use the leaves at all? Basically use it like rhubarb? A mystery.
B Seiber
The leaves are added in Step 2. Chard stems are sometimes large and tough so need longer cooking.
Rebecca
I made this according to the recipe, except I used bok choy instead of chard and it was excellent. Hearty and healthy. I topped the bowls with lots of cilantro leaves and stems as well as ample pomegranate seeds but found yogurt superfluous.
sandy
Made this with canned pinto beans (black eyed peas unavailable at the time). So mixed the spices (used the powdered cumin not seeds) with the barley added 2 cups stock. Cooked 45 minutes then added rinsed canned pinto beans, Trader Jos cooked beets, and Swiss chard. Subbed parsley for cilantro - used less liquid so it was a stew. Topped with creame fraiche and pomegranate seeds...delicious!
Dawne
We weren't able to get any fresh black-eyed peas this year, but I had some heirloom black tepary beans in the freezer, so I went with them. Also used a dollop of creme fraiche because I had some I had made with a yogurt base. Loved everything about this dish! What a party in the mouth! So many different textures and flavors! Thanks!
Alexia
I added 2 Tbsp of pm at beginning and 1 at the end.
Jo
Have made this twice and was disappointed both times. Slimy texture only got worse after refrigeration. Eliminate the barley? Use a good vegetable broth instead of water? Had to throw most of it away.
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