Texas Caviar (Black-Eyed Pea Dip)
Happy New Year! We wish you all the best in 2014-
In the South, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s is considered to be “good-luck” and to bring prosperity in the coming year. The tradition is that during the Civil War, Union soldiers confiscated all the food and crops available, destroying what they could not take with them. Since the Northerners considered black-eyed peas to be only animal fodder, they left it. Southerners then considered themselves lucky to have these legumes!
In keeping with tradition, this Texas Caviar is a delicious way to grab some prosperity for the coming year. Who knows, maybe it will even bring a little luck to your favorite bowl-game team today!
Happy New Year Everyone!
Texas Caviar
Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
1/2 cup canned white corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
dash of hot sauce
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
tortilla chips for serving
Directions
Mix all, cover, and refrigerate 3-24 hours before serving.
Note: There are no rules here – add more/less to make this to your taste!