Summer Field Pea, Roasted Corn & Country Ham Salad
…with honey citrus vinaigrette
Nothing says “summer salad” like a fresh-from-the-garden or farmers’ market bowl of field peas and beans tossed together with some freshly harvested sweet corn. My, oh my… can eating get any better? Well of course it can, when you cook those peas in Rays Country Ham broth, and toss that tender ham right on into your salad. A bright citrus dressing lets the seasonal flavors shine while bringing it all together. While this is a great meal in itself (with cornbread and sweet tea, of course), it is also a perfect salad to make ahead for July 4th gatherings. We do like to let this one spend the night in our refrigerator so all the deliciousness can come together. Make as little or as much as you need… but you might not take any home. Your dish may just be the “talk of the table” at picnics gatherings this summer.
These amounts are for about 8 servings. Adjust as needed.
3 sliced Rays Country Ham slices
4-5 cups water
4 cups any field peas/beans (we used 2 cups each White Acre Peas and tiny butterbeans)
2 ears fresh corn
1 medium red onion, cut into thin slivers
3 stalks celery, cut into ¼” pieces
fresh cilantro, amount to your liking
Honey Citrus Vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
zest of 1 orange, lemon and lime
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
pinch of salt
Bring ham in water to a boil. Once boiling, cut back to a slow simmer and cook ham about 6-7 minutes.
Remove ham. *Add peas/beans. Bring to a boil, then cook until tender. Be careful not to overcook or you’ll have a mushy pea salad. (Cooking time will depend on type of peas and beans.) Cool.
When ham has cooled, cut or tear into bite-size pieces.
Shuck and clean the corn. If you have a gas stove, roast the ears of corn directly on burners, turning as each side gets toasty. If not, you can roast in the oven, OR, cut off cob and use as is (uncooked). Roasting is optional but adds another layer of flavor!
Put cooled ham, peas/beans, and corn into large bowl. Add onion and celery. Stir in dressing. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Toss in cilantro at serving time.
*We cooked the peas and butterbeans separately since the tiny White Acre Peas take about half the time the butterbeans take to cook. Cook one in ham broth and remove with slotted spoon when done, then cook the others in the same broth.
Notes: When done with ham and bean broth, rather than discarding, consider cooling and freezing to use in soups!
