BOLLITOS DECARITA

By gaster16

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
• 3 teaspoons fresh ground garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable or peanut oil

Preparation

Step 1

Soak black-eyed peas overnight in a large pot of water. Peas will soften and swell in size. Drain. Remove hull from black-eyed peas. Begin by putting peas on a flat surface and crushing them slightly with a rolling pin or a potato masher. You can also give them a quick whirl in your food processor, not enough to puree them, just to begin breaking them up a bit. Rub the peas firmly between your hands to slip off hulls. Rinse peas in a large pot, swirling water around in a circular motion and letting skins rise to the top, them floating them off when you drain the water. Continue rubbing peas between hands and rinsing until all the hulls are removed. Combine peas, garlic, salt, and red and black pepper in a food processor or blender. Process until very smooth. You should not feel any small lumps when you rub the mixture between your fingers. Before frying, whip the batter with a hand blender several minutes until it turns a creamy white color, about 3-4 minutes. Mixture will turn a creamy white when it is ready. Heat oil in a large, heavy pot to 360 degrees. Using a teaspoon, drop batter into oil a few at a time, and fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Makes approximately 10-15 fritters.