An easy to make and delicious to eat vegan autumn pea stew. It’s made with British carlin peas, sweet red peppers and the last crop of tomatoes. Serve with rice, quinoa, barley, jacket potatoes or crusty bread for a comforting and satisfying meal.
As some of you may have noted, I recently received an exciting bundle of British grown pulses and grains to try out. I found some of the contents quite intriguing, but I’m really enjoying trying everything. UK readers, you still have a chance to win the very same bundle for yourselves. The giveaway ends on 24th October.
Carlin Peas
I have to confess, that I’d never heard of carlin peas until I received the aforementioned bundle. CT tutted in his usual “how could you possibly not heard of that” fashion. But I did feel a little ashamed. Carlins also known as grey or black badgers are a very British pea. In fact, when I mentioned them, I got several comments about Carlin Sunday. Apparently eating carlin peas, particularly on the fifth Sunday in Lent, is a big thing in the North East of the country and has been for a long time.
In Lancashire, carlin peas are known as black peas and they have a very interesting way of serving them. Parched Peas, as the recipe is termed, were traditionally served on Bonfire Night and other festivals. They’re simply boiled then served with salt and vinegar, often in a paper cone. Butter may or may not be included.
I don’t know why, but I was surprised to find that the peas taste both sweet and nutty when cooked. Indeed, they have far more flavour than many pulses I’ve tried. The texture is pleasantly firm, so no mushy peas here. In fact they make a good chickpea substitute.
Hodmedod’s have an intriguing recipe for carlin pea brownies which I’m going to have to make at some point. As soon as I saw the lovely reddish brown colour of the carlins though, I wanted to make a red pea stew with them.
Carlin Pea Stew
So, I made my red pea stew with red onions, red tomatoes, sweet red peppers, red chillies, red smoked paprika and reddish brown carlins. The colour looks really quite appealing. Luckily, the stew tastes delicious too.
CT grew the onions, peppers and tomatoes as well as the chilli and garlic, so it’s almost a homegrown recipe. Maybe he’ll grow carlin peas next year.
Soaking Pulses
You can make this red pepper pea stew with either dried carlin peas or tinned ones. Tinned are always good if you’re in a hurry, but I recommend the dried ones.
True, you need to be a bit more organised as you have to soak the peas overnight, but in my experience pulses are much more digestible if prepared this way. Plus you have more control over the texture of your peas. For this recipe it’s nice to have a bit of texture, but you can boil them for longer if you want them super soft.
If you can’t find carlins, then try using another brown pulse instead. But they’re worth getting hold of if you can.
Carlin Pea Stew Flavours
At one point, I thought I might add some of the quince jelly I’ve just made. But on second thoughts, I realised that the peppers were plenty sweet enough. In the end I decided to keep the flavouring fairly simple. You’ll find thyme, garlic, chilli, smoked paprika, vinegar and some fermented barley. I’m in love with the fermented barley that came in my bundle and I’m using it in all sorts of things. But, if you prefer, you can use miso or even soya sauce instead. As with most seasonings, you should adjust these to suit your own tastes.
As this recipe for sweet red pepper and carlin pea stew is for four people, we enjoyed it two nights running. The first night we served it with fluffy brown basmati rice and the second we reheated it and ate it with crusty bread. It was delicious both nights, but it was at its best on the second day as the flavours had melded and developed.
The carlin pea stew is robust in flavour and hearty in substance. So it works particularly well if you serve it with bland foods such as rice, quinoa, barley or even a jacket potato.
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Other Tin and Thyme Pulse Recipes You Might Like
- Barley lentil dinner (vegan)
- Black chickpea & red quinoa burgers (vegan)
- Egyptian style fava bean falafel (vegan)
- Granny’s shepherd’s pie
- Green split pea curry (vegan)
- Kill a cold lentil curry (vegan)
- Lentil & Brazil nut roast with sage & onion stuffing and red wine gravy (vegan)
- Ribollita – a hearty Italian style soup (vegan)
If you’d like even more recipe ideas for pulses, you’ll find plenty on my Peerless Pulses Pinterest board.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this carlin pea stew recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate it. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more vegan recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have a few. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Red Pepper Carlin Pea Stew – PIN IT
Red Pepper & Carlin Pea Stew – The Recipe
Red Pepper and Carlin Pea Stew
Ingredients
- 250 g dried carlin peas soaked in water for at least an hour – alternatively use two x 400g (15oz) tins
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 large red onion finely chopped
- 3 sweet red peppers deseeded and cut into slices
- 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 plump clove of garlic or 2 smaller ones – finely chopped
- 1 red chilli finely chopped and seeds removed if you don't like things too hot
- 400 g fresh tomatoes (about 10 medium sized) or a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar (I used sherry vinegar)
- ½ tsp barley miso
Instructions
- Rinse the peas well and pour into a saucepan. Cover with cold water, add the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Simmer with the lid on for about 45 minutes or until the peas are soft but still whole. Drain, reserving some of the liquid and remove the bay leaves. Omit this step if using tinned carlin peas.250 g dried carlin peas, 2 bay leaves
- Meanwhile, in a large pan, fry the onion gently in the oil for ten minutes or until it's soft, but not turning brown. Add the peppers, cover with a lid and cook gently for five minutes or so.2 tbsp sunflower, 1 large red onion, 3 sweet red peppers
- Add the thyme, garlic and chilli and cook for a further five minutes with the lid on.6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 plump clove of garlic, 1 red chilli
- Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan along with the smoked paprika, salt and vinegar. Cook with the lid on for ten minutes.400 g fresh tomatoes, 2 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp sea salt, 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- Add the peas and a tablespoon or two of the cooking water. Cover and simmer for ten minutes. If the mixture looks a bit dry, add more of the cooking water.
- Once the stew has stopped simmering, but is still hot, stir in the fermented barley or miso. If using miso, you’ll need to mix it with a little hot water before adding it to the stew. Adjust seasoning as desired and serve with barley, quinoa, rice or crusty bread. A spoonful or two of yoghurt works well too.½ tsp barley miso
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing my red pepper and carlin pea stew with Lost in Food for #CookBlogShare.
Caroline Woolland says
I came across carlin peas in a book about living in Tudor times, from the BBC series. Would a 400g tin of carlin peas equate to 125g?
Choclette says
Ooh how interesting. 125g of dried peas is about right for a 400g tin. They sort of double in size when cooked and 250g is more or less the weight of a drained can. I’ll amend the recipe to reflect it.
Tim Harrison says
This is a version of something I’ve been cooking for years now, but using chickpeas and a different spice mix
instead of carlin peas. I do like carlin peas, but I feel they are a bit lost in this recipe, as they have such a subtle taste. The dish is certainly better 24 hours after cooking (and may be indeed very good after 6-7 hours in a slow cooker) but as it stands it won’t make it to my “must cook again soon” list, I’m afraid.
Even though both TnT and Hodmedods recommend cooking the peas for 40-50 minutes, they have lost their firmness by this time (for me, texture is a big part of this dish) and I would highly recommend trying them after 25 minutes to see what they are like. Chickpeas only take 20 minutes to cook after an overnight soak, after all. Also, the bayleaves and thyme are totally lost once everything is mixed and could easily be left out.
Sorry to be a bit negative, but if you do want to cook this, a nice modification to this recipe could be to add the juice and finely chopped zest of one (unwaxed) orange about 5 minutes before serving, cutting the tomatoes back to 200 g (half a tin, or fresh and really ripe) and using more of the cooking liquid from the peas.
Choclette says
Hi Tim
Thanks for your feedback and the time taken to detail your findings. It’s always useful to hear how readers get on with my recipes. I very much like your idea of adding an orange and I shall try cutting back on the tomatoes next time I make this too. As for the softness, or otherwise, of the peas, it’s such a personal thing. I prefer soft to firm, but it’s probably worth mentioning this in the recipe.
Barbara says
I too was looking for a new recipe to use my red fox Carlin peas from hodmedods.
Loved this recipe, very tasty and worked well in my slow cooker.
Will definitely be making again. Thank you
Choclette says
Glad you enjoyed it Barbara. It’s just the sort of thing that works well in a slow cooker. Thanks for letting me know. Hodmedods are fab.
Name *Julia Ridgman says
This is a timely recipe. I’ve just sorted my delivery from Hodmedods and was looking for a recipe for the Carlin peas. I’m going to use jar peppers and sundried + tinned tomatoes as they’re out of season.
Choclette says
Sounds like a great idea. Stews are very forgiving and great for adding what you have to hand. Hope you like it.
Kylee says
I hadn’t heard of carlin peas either! What a great recipe (and story). Need to find those peas here!!
Choclette says
Thanks Kylee. It’s a bit sad that many of these old varieties of peas and beans have got lost in time. But I think there’s a move on now to bring a lot of them back.
Leanne - Crumb Top Baking says
I’ve never heard of carlin peas either! Isn’t that the beauty of food blogging?! Always learning something new. The peas look delicious in this stew. It’s a beautiful, rich colour and looks so hearty!
Choclette says
Thanks Leanne. I’ve learnt so much since I started food blogging and I’m sure there’s still plenty more to find out. Bring it on.
Leslie says
I really appreciate your recipes. They always remind me of good, home cookin! This looks so hearty and delicious. Great recipe, as always!
Choclette says
Thanks Leslie. Good home cooking is exactly what I’m after.
Ramona says
This recipe looks delicious – I am not sure I have had carlin pea before, I have to look it up as it might be that has got a different name around here. Thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe. Perfect for the time of the year.
Choclette says
Thanks Ramona. It does seem to have a lot of different names. Pigeon pea is one of them, though it’s not exactly the same as the Caribbean pigeon pea.
angiesrecipes says
I have never heard of carlin pea until now…the stew looks super comforting, satisfying and packed full of flavours.
Choclette says
They’re new to me too Angie, which is quite shocking given that they’re a very British pea.