Tomato, Butter Bean and Corn Salad

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Chef: Jim Shirley
Chef’s Narrative:

In Pensacola, in the early days of July, we get an abundance of the hot-weatherloving vegetables, notably Silver King sweet corn, giant vine-ripe tomatoes and waves of fresh peas and beans. One of my favorite peas is the crowder, named for the way the peas are crowded together in their pods. They are not as uniform in shape as their black-eyed cousins, but they taste better. For years, during the hot season, my family would toss a salad together with crowders. This time, I’ll put the peas in the vinaigrette. A crackling-cold bottle of Seresin Estate Sauvignon Blanc will really set this light lunch off.

Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds vine-ripe tomatoes
  • 2 cups fresh Silver King kernels, cooked
  • 2 cups fresh butter beans, cooked
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • 3 cups cubed toasted bread
  • Salt to taste for tomatoes
  • 1 bottle Seresin Estate Sauvignon Blanc


 

Crowder Pea Vinaigrette

  • 2 cups fresh crowder peas, cooked
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 5 turns on the pepper mill
  • ½ cup rice wine vinegar
  • ½ lime for juice
  • 1 cup olive oil
     
Instructions:

Early in the day, go ahead and cook your corn, beans and peas. When they have cooled off, sip on a glass of refreshing Seresin. Once a peaceful state is achieved, shake basil, parsley, salt and pepper into a small mixing bowl, add rice wine vinegar and lime juice, and whisk in the olive oil. Eat a few crowder peas to test for doneness; then maybe eat a few more. Tumble what’s left into the vinaigrette and whirl with a spoon. Set aside. Dice tomatoes into ½-inch pieces and sprinkle with a little salt. Then sling the corn, beans, onion, bread cubes and tomatoes into a big bowl and jumble them around. Stir your dressing, ladle it over the salad, then give the salad a stir. Call in the locals, pour up the wine, portion out the salad and savor a light summer treat.

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