There is nothing I enjoy more than a good farmers market. Actually that’s a lie. I enjoy cooking whatever I buy at a farmers market even more. So you must know how excited I was to be able to do a cooking demo at one. More specifically the Serenbe Farmers Market.
I immediately knew what I wanted to create for the Serenbe shoppers. A friend and fellow chef, has a line of hummus and desserts that she vends at that market from time to time. I decided to pay homage to the cooler weather and use her black eye pea hummus to create comfort food. I wanted something that said Fall that wasn’t a stew or soup. Pasta came to mind. I would make a sauce from the hummus and coat the pasta in it. But what goes well with black eye peas? Collard greens. Yes. Bacon. Double Yes. This is how “The Southern Comfort” dish was born.
Southern Comfort
1 lb. Linguine
1 lb. Thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2″ strips
1 medium onion, cut into slices
1 bunch collard greens, stemmed and cut into 1″ strips
1 cup black eye pea hummus
1/4-1/2 cup pasta water
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package. In a pan cook bacon pieces until crispy. Do not drain bacon fat. Add onion slices to the bacon and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add greens, cooking until just wilted. Mix in hummus and cooked pasta. Use pasta water to loosen the sauce so it coats the pasta. Finish with black pepper. Top dish with cheese.
If you noticed I don’t mention any spices, except black pepper. That’s because the hummus has enough spices and flavoring in it. The bacon brings enough salt to the dish as does the parmesan cheese.
If you’d like to order hummus visit Chef Diahann at her website here. Or if you are in need chef services for this upcoming holiday season you can email me at chef@thechefinpearls.com. I will be offering services that include in-home cooking, drop-off meals, artisanal hot chocolate service and much more.
If you make this dish share a picture and tell me what you thought of it. I made some really good memories while at Serenbe. It’s your turn to do the same. Now go forward and make your own memories with a new recipe to try.
Until next time.
~Cassandra The Chef In Pearls
