Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried black-eyed peas, sorted, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
• ½ medium onion, diced
• ½ cup raw peanuts
• 1 teaspoon minced thyme
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 5 cups coconut oil (see note below)
• Hot pepper sauce

Instructions

1. 1
   Remove the skins from the beans by adding them to a large bowl, filling the bowl with water, agitating the beans, and fishing out the skins that float to the top with a fine mesh strainer. Rinse beans well.
2. 2
   In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the beans, onion, peanuts, thyme, cayenne, vinegar, water, and salt and pulse until completely smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. 3
   Preheat the oven to 200°F. Remove the batter from the refrigerator, add the bell pepper and cornmeal, and beat with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.
4. 4
   In a medium-size saucepan over high heat, warm the coconut oil until hot but not smoking, about 5 minutes. Lower the oil to medium high, and in batches of 5, spoon the batter into the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. Fry, stirring around, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. If necessary, adjust the temperature to ensure that the fritters do not cook too quickly.
5. 5
   Transfer the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate and allow them to drain. Transfer the drained fritters to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
6. 6
   Serve hot with Hot Pepper Sauce