Servings: 20 fritters

I always try to start my New Year off right with the luck of the black-eyed pea. Sometimes the usual black-eyed pea soup with ham and corn bread gets boring to me, so I make these little savory bites instead. They're good plain, but also tasty dipped in salsa, hot mustard, or even ketchup. If you've already made a traditional black-eyed pea recipe for the New Year, this is also a good use for the leftovers -- just measure two cups of black-eyed peas with some liquid instead of the can of black-eyed peas.

Ingredients:
•1 can of black-eyed peas, undrained
•¾ cup flour
•¼ cup chopped mushrooms
•¼ cup chopped green onions
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•2 tablespoons tomato paste
•1 teaspoon crushed fennel (optional)
•1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper
•1 teaspoon basil
•1 tablespoon crushed rosemary
•1 tablespoon sage
•salt & pepper to taste
•oil for frying

Directions:
1.Mix the black-eyed peas (plus the liquid from the can) and flour together in bowl.
2.Stir in mushrooms, onions, garlic, and tomato paste, then mix in all the spices.
3.Divide the batter/dough into 20 pieces, and roll each into a ball. Dust the balls with additional flour before frying.*
4.In frying pan on medium-high heat (370° in a deep fryer), fry the fritters in a enough oil to cover them until they become a nice golden brown color, approximately six minutes.
5.Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels.
6.Serve hot and enjoy the New Year!

*The mixture should be more like a dough than a batter. The liquid in a can of beans varies from brand to brand, so if your batter is too runny to shape into balls, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it's the correct consistency.