Spicy Sweet-Potato Fries

…was my reaction to pulling Cuban oregano out of the CSA box this week.  And the bag of unshelled black-eyed peas last week.  I had only ever seen them shelled, dried, and packaged.

What to do with Cuban oregano?

Discoveries like these are part of the fun of CSAs.  It can also be a little disconcerting to unpack unfamiliar ingredients.  It’s different than shopping at the grocery store: how many times have you bought a food item when you didn’t know what it was?  We rest easy in familiar eating habits.

I thought I’d share a few of my recent discoveries with Cuban oregano and black-eyed peas.  And I’d love to hear from anyone else who has found enticing ways to use these ingredients!


I used to live in Florida, home to many Cuban restaurants, and I frequented one near my house called Rollando’s, where the strong, savory oregano, garlic, and mojo flavorings always kept me coming back.

Cuban oregano has an intense, hearty flavor.  Lately I’ve been experimenting with salad dressings.  Here’s one that I made today for lunch with the Cuban oregano:

1/4 cup vinegar (I used brown rice, but any would work)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp Cuban oregano
2 chopped garlic cloves
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Who said a salad had to have lettuce?

I used it to dress a salad with some of the black eyed peas (shelled and boiled for 15
min), a tomato, some diced zucchini, a little bit of cheddar cheese, and some microgreens on top.  I’ll be honest–it was amazing.

Tonight I’m going to make a Cuban Picadillo that will be something like this:

Brown hamburger over the stove, and after it’s drained, add garlic, salt, an onion, and a green pepper.  When the veggies are soft, add some finely chopped Cuban oregano with diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Maybe a splash or two of vinegar.  Simmer until flavors have melded, and serve with beans and rice. Black beans would be more fitting with Cuban cuisine, but I might use the black-eyed peas on hand!

A few notes on Black-Eyed Peas

I learned, from trying to figure out how to use them, that black eyed peas are ready to be shelled when the hull turns brown.

Also, they can be dried (made fast when put in a dehydrator), and saved for the winter when there’s not nearly as much food variety available.

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