Black Eyed Peas Recipe

The following is a favorite black eyed peas recipe of mine. Summer black eyed peas are well known in the South. During the summer months, you can find pints of them in your grocer’s produce section. During the rest of the year, black eyed peas can be found dried, canned or frozen. These flavorful peas can be used in just about anything: soups, salads, fritters or pureed.

During the summer, I enjoy them fresh in a cold salad and during the winter, I like to make the popular dish, “Hoppin’ John”, using dried black eyed peas.

This summer salad black eyed peas recipe makes six servings.

Black Eyed Peas Recipe:

About 2 pounds of fresh black eyed peas (or, 2 15 ounce cans, drained; or, 1 1/2 cups of dried black eyed peas that have been soaked in water overnight)

2 bell peppers (I prefer 1 green and 1 red for color, but any two bell peppers will do)

2 green onions (scallions) finely chopped

1 cup of corn kernels, drained or fresh (About two ears of corn)

2 small garlic cloves finely minced

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of fresh herbs (parsley, chives, oregano, chervil, thyme, etc. Whatever you have on-hand)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cut up the bell peppers into small, bite size pieces and remove all of the seeds. Set aside.

If you are using fresh corn, here is a fast way to get the kernels tender: place about 1 inch of water in a pot large enough to fit the corn. Once the corn is cleaned and de-silked, stand the ears upright in the pot of shallow water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid. The corn will quickly steam in about 3 minutes. Use a knife to shave the kernels from the cob.

In a large bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Once they are well combined, add the black eyed peas, green onions, bell peppers, corn kernels, and garlic. Stir until the sauce at the bottom of the bowl has coated the pea and vegetable mixture. Serve and allow people to add additional salt and pepper to taste.