KALE WITH BLACK-EYED PEAS AND TUNA
12 MINUTES (10 ACTIVE)
4 SERVINGS AND 1 LUNCH THE NEXT DAY
I often use tuna as I would bacon, stirring it into the pan at the start of cooking and letting it suffuse the oil. It gives a hard-to-pinpoint richness to a really simple last-minute meal. Case in point: this wholesome dish, which emerged from a household crisis. It was August and there was a heat wave. I had, perhaps ill-advisedly, gotten a new puppy right as work on this book commenced in earnest, and he was getting into trouble a dozen times a day. The fish I had bought for dinner had gone bad. I looked in the cupboard, where I always have a can of line-caught albacore tuna. I used it to season this satisfying one-pot meal, and no one complained about the change in menu. In fact, my husband now requests it.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes, preferably Aleppo or Marash
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
• Fine sea salt to taste
• 5 ounces tuna, preferably oil-packed, line-caught albacore, drained
• 2 cups frozen black-eyed peas
• 12 ounces lacinato kale, well washed, large stems removed, leaves cut crosswise into ½-inch strips
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
• ¼ cup roughly chopped dill fronds
In a large skillet with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir in the bell pepper, season with salt, and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tuna, breaking it up into small chunks, and cook for 1 minute. Add the black-eyed peas and another pinch of salt and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Place the kale in the pan and add 3 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and stir the greens well. Cook, uncovered, for 1 or 2 minutes, until the kale is tender.
Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Taste the mixture and add more salt or lemon juice, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.