Parched Peas Recipe: How to Cook Black Peas (Carlin Peas)

Parched peas are carlin peas, also called black peas, simmered in stock with cider vinegar until starchy, then eaten with salt and malt vinegar. So 500g of cooked peas serves 4 at about 170 calories a mug in 25 minutes, or add a soak and 45 minutes from dried.

North East families eat them on Carlin Sunday in Lent, while in Lancashire black peas turn up every Bonfire Night. And the cooking couldn’t be plainer, with nothing beyond salt and pepper, stock, a splash of cider vinegar and a knob of butter.

Judging when to stop simmering is the one real skill here, because the peas should look starchy rather than wet, but never completely dry. Then the butter goes in and melts into the thick liquor that clings to every pea.

Parched Peas Recipe: How to Cook Black Peas (Carlin Peas)

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British Courses:Side

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: 20 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 25 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:170 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Cooked carlin peas bubble away in stock with cider vinegar and seasoning until most of the liquid has gone. Once thick and starchy, they get a little butter and go into mugs or paper cones with salt and malt vinegar. And it’s adapted from Our Family Favourites by Si King and Dave Myers.

Ingredients

For the peas

• 500g well-cooked carlin peas (drained weight if tinned, or cooked from dried)
• 250ml vegetable stock, or the cooking liquor if you cooked the peas yourself
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 15g butter
• salt and black pepper

To serve

• salt
• malt vinegar

Instructions

1. Simmer the peas: Put the carlin peas in a saucepan with the stock or cooking liquor and the cider vinegar, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until most of the liquid has boiled off.
2. Finish with butter: Stop when the peas look starchy rather than wet, but not completely dry. Then stir in the butter.
3. Serve: Spoon the peas into mugs, small dishes or paper cones. Then serve with plenty of salt and malt vinegar.

FAQs

What are carlin peas?

They’re a brown dried pea, known as pigeon peas in Cumbria and carlin peas in Newcastle and the North East. And Lancashire calls the same peas black peas, which is why parched peas and black peas are much the same dish.

How do you cook dried black peas?

Soak them overnight in plenty of water with a teaspoon of salt, then drain and cover with fresh water. Boil hard for about 5 minutes, add another teaspoon of salt and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes until tender.

Keep the cooking liquor, because it stands in for the stock when you parch them. And I’d taste a few peas at 30 minutes, since older dried peas can take longer to soften.

What is Carlin Sunday?

It’s the fifth Sunday of Lent, though the custom has nothing to do with Lent itself. Instead the story goes back to 1644, when Scots besieged Royalist Newcastle and a cargo of carlin peas washed ashore for the starving town.

Why are black peas eaten on Bonfire Night?

Nobody seems sure how it started, but in Lancashire a hot mug of vinegary black peas is a Bonfire Night fixture, like Yorkshire parkin. So for a bonfire party I’d make a double batch, with sticky ginger parkin and a big pot of vegetarian chilli alongside.

Can you use tinned carlin peas?

Yes, tins skip the soak and the boil, so the whole job takes about 25 minutes. Then use vegetable stock rather than the liquid from the tin, since the cooking liquor only comes into it when you’ve cooked the peas yourself.

And if you like northern pulses, North East pease pudding is the other great one to try.