Flavor Blend

In Austin, black-eyed peas are bridging Mexican and Mediterranean dishes

- EMILY HAVENER

Since childhood memories of disliking black-eyed peas at New Year's, Nick Erven has come around on the quintessentially Southern legume.

"Now I love them," he says, having settled in after a year as executive chef at Summer House on Music Lane, Hotel Magdalena's full-service restaurant in Austin. "And I love that kind of cooking. There's a rusticity to it that I really enjoy." Erven had hummus on the brain as he developed Summer House's menu following his time running the kitchen at Wax Myrtle's, where the food was "Tex-Med." He decided to try it with black-eyed peas, and the result was a dish so good he keeps putting it back on the menu.