Pea-Pickled Salad

April is National Letter Writing Month and I took up the challenge of writing a letter every day of the month. I was gung ho initially, then the vastness of my acceptance caught up with me and, near month's end, I opted to send out postcards instead of letters.

The postcards were special, though, and a part of my sizable collection of recipe postcards, that I heretofore never parted with. I chose to send cards from my Jack Daniels postcard book, embellishing the backs with rubber stamps and jotting a brief note. In the doing I found some interesting recipes that I thought I might try.

One of these recipes, for Pea-Pickled Salad, sounded particularly awful, so my inclination, of course, was to try it. (I tend to do this more often than I care to admit. Weird, I know.) I do like blackeyed peas, but tend to stick with the same tried-and-true recipe again and again. But having recently come to embrace the “bean salad,” I figured it was worth a try. I tasted it shortly after assembly and smiled to myself when my suspicions were proved true, but stuck it in the fridge overnight anyway. When I sampled it 24 hours later, I was pleasantly surprised. It was really quite tasty and would make a great addition to picnic fare this summer. (And isn't half bad as a dip for tortilla chips!) I'd over chopped parsley the day before, so dumped in what remained to give it a little color, otherwise I made the recipe pretty much as shown, substituting Melissa's Steamed Blackeyed Peas for the dreary canned variety.

Pea-Pickled Salad

From Jack Daniel’s Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook

2 11-ounce packages Melissa’s Steamed Blackeyed Peas, rinsed and drained

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

½ cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I used a bit more)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine peas, onion, and parsley in a heatproof bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pour over pea mixture.  Refrigerate overnight.  Remove bay leaf.  Makes 4-1/2 cups.

This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday