Field Pea Salad

I found myself recently with a few leftover purple hull peas that I had cooked up. Pulled this recipe out and whipped a little salad that some might say compares to an old Southern recipe called Texas caviar. It's a great side for a hamburger or hot dog. Heck...you might even want to just pile it on top.

Field Pea Salad
From Southern Living.
Makes eight servings.

3 cups fresh or frozen assorted field peas (Or use leftovers like me. Just drain and rinse and skip to the second step.)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced (I substituted a couple of teaspoons of garlic pepper and skipped the pepper below.)
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 cup chopped ham (Optional. I didn't use.)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Prepare peas according to package directions; drain and let cool 1 hour.


Whisk together sugar and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Add cooked field peas, bell pepper, onion, and celery, tossing to coat; cover and chill 8 hours.

Sauté ham in 1 tsp. hot oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir into pea mixture just before serving.